Jesus Christ showed special compassion for children (see Mark 10:13-16). In the ministry of Samaritan's Purse, we strive to follow His example. In countries around the world, our projects are providing needy children with food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and education. Most important of all, these boys and girls experience the love of Jesus Christ.

Mevan’s green and gold dress swept the floor as her feet slowly shuffled across the weathered carpet. There was a slight tremor in her legs as she moved, but her aunt, Shilan, gently braced her hands for reassurance.

The 7-year-old didn’t move quickly, but even this short, deliberate journey seemed like a miracle. Just a year ago, she couldn’t walk at all.

Mevan has been gaining strength since receiving a walker and wheelchair from Samaritan’s Purse.

Around the world, Samaritan’s Purse has helped thousands of disabled boys and girls like Mevan by providing medical devices, corrective surgery, special education, or therapy.

“Thank you very much for the wheelchair and the walker,” Shilan said. “She is doing very well now.”

Shilan has been taking care of her niece for most of her life. Mevan’s mother abandoned her when she discovered she had cerebral palsy, and her father later remarried and moved out of the home.




Ali, a Kurdish man who works with Samaritan’s Purse, met Mevan and Shilan through a local program that identifies disabled children in the community. He helped deliver the special wheelchair to Mevan.

Since the wheelchair is durable enough to be used on rough roads, Mevan can use it to get to her school in Halabja, a small town in the Kurdish area of Iraq that has been oppressed and neglected for decades.

A tall iron hand of 16 fingers stands on top of the Halabja Martyrs Memorial in memory of the 5,000 men, women, and children buried nearby. It is a haunting reminder to their families of the persecution they endured on March 16, 1988, when Sadaam Hussein’s army gassed the town.

Out of poisonous ashes, the Kurdish people have been slowly rebuilding their homes and lives for over 20 years. The deadly chemicals that inflicted thousands with illnesses are still affecting families today.

In this small community, there are about 4,500 children like Mevan who can’t leave their homes due to disabilities. It is believed that many of them developed defects while still in the womb because their mothers were exposed to chemical warfare.

In order to fill the gaps in services for children with disabilities, Samaritan’s Purse launched a program to help the children by providing wheelchairs and other care.

“Thank you for helping the people of northern Iraq,” said Khder Kareem, the mayor of the town. “We are grateful for the organization for the children. There are a lot of needs, and there is no special place to care for them.”