Azerbaijan: When dreams come true
Ramil Yusifov was sitting on the stairs in the yard of his house in Garalar village of Tovuz district, Azerbaijan, one day in 2017 when a gunshot hit his leg. He was only 14 years old.
"We were all scared. My daughters live far from us, but they rushed over and helped me to call for a doctor. A military doctor came and gave first-aid treatment, after which we took Ramil to the district hospital," recalls Ilhama, his mother.
© Aida Aliyeva/ICRC
Today, Ramil is a hopeful 19-year-old, who has recently been admitted to university in Baku. His long-standing dream of becoming an engineer is beginning to take shape finally.
The last few years have been very difficult for Ramil. Growing up in the shadow of conflict, he struggled with the leg injury, the trauma of violence coming to his doorstep, a financial crisis, and the loss of his father.
© Aida Aliyeva/ICRC
In 2018, Ramil was put in contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a multidisciplinary assessment conducted in his village. Based on the assessment, the Yusifov family was one of the 24 households in Garalar village who were selected to benefit from the potato seeds multiplication project and provided with cash assistance.
"We have distributed 200 kg of potato seeds per household in Garalar village. During the harvesting we saw Ramil helping his family carry potato sacks on horseback despite his injured leg," recalls Khudaverdi, an ICRC staff member.
© Aida Aliyeva/ICRC
The accident impacted Ramil's daily life a lot, as he was living with a fear that it would happen again. In 2018, the ICRC's Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) team referred Ramil to a private psychologist at a youth center in the Govlar village of Tovuz district to help him deal with the trauma that he suffered. This was one of the first referral cases facilitated by the ICRC in Azerbaijan.
© Aida Aliyeva/ICRC
Ramil shares that he always dreamed of becoming an engineer. He had to work very hard to pass the university entrance exam. But he feels that all his efforts were worthwhile because he got accepted to the university.
The ICRC is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of people affected by armed conflict and other violence.
