Humam Sadek, born and raised in Aleppo, Syria became a student in a training program in prosthetics and orthotics with Human Study in 2015 and earned an Associate Prosthetist/Orthotist degree in 2017. He is today one of the few professionals treating people with disabilities in war-torn Syria.

Humam first realized the importance of this profession when his brother was left an amputee after being shot at a protest. He learned that having a professional at hand in situations like his brother’s is of vital importance for many young people in Syria who get injured due to the conflict. He took action by becoming a prosthetic and orthotic professional himself.

Human Study started working with and for Syrian people in collaboration with National Syrian Project for Prosthetic Limbs (NSPPL), a UK based charity, who were at the time striving to build P&O services for millions of refugees from war torn Syria in the Hatay province, along the border. Our first first joint project was a 3-year educational program on the associate level in which 24 people from the Middle East (Gaza, Egypt, Syria) were successfully educated according to the international standards for education in prosthetics and orthotics.

Since then, Human Study and NSPPL have continued to collaborate and as a result in 2019 we have started the education of P&O teachers for Syria in which we have selected the best eight Syrian students, including Humam Sadek, who have already gained the associate degree through our first program. We aim to create a center of excellence where more P&O practitioners will be educated and Syrian patients will be treated by Syrians.

Humam and his colleagues today work and live between Syria and Turkey (at the Syrian border) where they travel on a daily basis inside Syria to treat patients. They realize how important it is to have local skilled professionals to treat persons with disabilities in their country and that only a few of them are not enough. They know that by becoming trainers in prosthetics and orthotics they can take the lead and help others gain the skills, so that more people with disabilities get the treatment they need.

Our training program for teachers is the only available education on that level for professionals working with amputees in and for Syria.

The funds for the entire educational program have not yet been secured and we need your help to make this training of teachers a success. Donate any amount for their education or sponsor a scholarship for one or more of them to get them through their studies.