Standing tall and unafraid

Kharas, West Bank: Driving along the narrow, winding roads to the West Bank village of Kharas, social worker Amal Al Haymouni asks the bus driver for the exact location of Yousuf Halahla's home.

"Yes, the boy who travelled to Dubai. Everyone knows him," he replies immediately. His passengers nod in agreement.

It has been just over one year since Yousuf first left his small village on the outskirts of Hebron, travelling to Dubai for medical treatment to correct the serious deformities in both legs.

"I first met Yousuf two years ago," recalls Amal, 26, who works with the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF). "I came to Kharas to visit him and check his case, but he wouldn't even speak to me. He had no confidence and could hardly even leave the house."

Through the support of the Dubai chapter of PCRF, Yousuf and his mother travelled from Kharas to Dubai in June 2006. Dr Marc Sinclair of the Dubai Bone and Joint Centre carried out the eight hour operation at Dubai's International Modern Hospital, during which five bones in both his legs were broken and reset.

Homecoming

Now, one year on, Yousuf, 14, stands tall and proud; barely recognisable from the shy, introverted, little boy who was confined to a wheelchair for much of his time in Dubai.

"Before, I had to be driven to school everyday, but now I can walk without any problems. Everyone was so shocked when I came back - they couldn't believe how much I had changed," he told Gulf News.

On the day of his arrival, a large group gathered at the Halahla family's modest house in the centre of the village to welcome him home. At his homecoming celebrations, Yousuf danced for the first time.

"I cannot give enough thanks to all of the people from PCRF, Dr Sinclair, the hospital and everyone who helped my son. He is so much more independent and can do everything by himself. I was crying when I first saw him - it was amazing," Abu Yousuf said proudly.

Kharas is a small village, located in a hilly terrain, west of Hebron. Unemployment is widespread, yet the villagers live in the shadow of a large, ostentatious villa under construction on a nearby hill.

"That's the 'Chinese Palace'," says Abu Yousuf. "The man who is building it is very rich because he lives abroad and works with the Israelis. All those rooms for only two children - meanwhile, the rest of us are struggling to get by."

In recent years, Kharas has suffered from restrictions imposed by Israel's separation wall; part of which has been constructed on confiscated village land.

Abu Yousuf, like many others from the village, used to rely on inconsistent construction work in Israel, but now it is almost impossible to secure a permit from the Israeli authorities.

While the family is clearly overjoyed with Yousuf's progress, their happiness has also been marred by the political upheaval gripping the West Bank and Gaza. While Yousuf is optimis-tic about his future, he remains pessimistic about building a life in Kharas. He hopes to one day work in the hotel industry - perhaps in the UAE.

"I don't know what the future will hold, but now I am not afraid of anything," he said.