Melbourne boy rallies funds for Yemen shooting victim

31 Oct 2012, 6:23 pm   -   Source: Rhiannon Elston, SBS
Share This
0 
+ Comment
0

Jylon Grandy has never met Saleem al-Harazi, but the 10-year-old Melbourne schoolboy has raised thousands of dollars to help the Yemeni boy left blind after a day of violence in the capital of Sana'a.  

RELATED

Saleem al-Harazi was on a mission to buy eggs and milk for his family in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, when his life was changed forever.

As he walked through Change Square, the 11-year-old was shot in the face by a sniper during the bloodiest day in Yemen’s recent history.

VISIT Saleem’s fundraiser page, set up by Jylon and Iona

It was March 18 2011 and the Arab Spring had just begun to ripple through the region.

Saleem al-Harazi recovers in hospital after after being shot in the face in Yemen's Change Square during a day of protest. (Image: Iona Craig)

More than a year later, and after losing both his eyes, Saleem’s life is starting to return to normal, but his story has become one of the tragic symbols of the human impact of Yemen’s Revolution.

It was through a haunting image in National Geographic magazine that Jylon Grandy, a 10-year-old schoolboy from suburban Melbourne, first stumbled across Saleem’s story.

“I came across this page and Saleem al-Harazi was sitting on a couch with his mum. I looked at his eyes and thought ‘where did they go?’” he explains.

Jylon’s mother Sharon says reading about Saleem’s shooting “deeply upset” her son. “We couldn’t console him. It was a very emotional evening.”

Unable to shake the idea that a child on the other side of the world had experienced such a horrific incident, Jylon -- largely unprompted by his parents -- came up with a plan to raise money to help the young Yemeni boy.

“I was brainstorming what I could do for him, and I came up with the best idea: a walk-a-thon.”

Supported by his parents and his school, Jylon’s plan started ticking into action.

The family contacted Iona Craig, a freelance journalist currently based in Yemen, who was in Change Square with tens of thousands of others the day Saleem was shot.

LISTEN: Iona Craig talks about the shootings in Change Square on March 18

Craig recalls how a fire was set at one end of the Square, amid peaceful anti-government protests that began at the end of Friday prayers.

“People rushed towards that fire, which was made behind a sort of temporary wall. And as they gathered, these rooftop gunmen started opening fire.”

Soldiers and plain-clothed government loyalists were later blamed for the shooting, in a day that would mark a turning point in Yemeni politics, with support for the country’s autocratic ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh beginning to crumble. 

By chance, Craig was bundled into a tent where she saw three boys hiding from the gunshots outside. She would later find out one of those boys was Saleem al-Harazi.

"I witnessed the first few people being shot," says Craig. "Mostly in the head."

By the end of the day, more than 50 people had been killed in Sana'a.

Amid the turmoil, Craig became separated from the boys, but she later met Saleem and got to know his family.

She says she was “amazed” when she received an email from Jylon’s father, Glenn Grandy.

“When word got around about what he was planning on doing, I think there were a few tears shed here in Sana’a, including by myself,” says Craig.  

“To see another child across the other side of the world who has never met him react like this, is very moving, and has warmed a lot of hearts in Yemen I think.”

On October 27, Jylon and his eight-year-old brother Ashton walked six kilometres across Melbourne, accompanied by parents, friends and well-wishers.  

Jylon (right) and his younger brother Ashton have raised more than $2,500 to help Saleem. (Image: Grandy family)

Jylon and Ashton have so for raised more than $2,500 to send to Saleem to aid his recovery and adapt to his new lifestyle – well over their goal of $300.

Donations have been contributed from Yemen, Australia and around the world after news spread of the fundraiser on social media.

Just a few days before the walk, Saleem met Jylon and Ashton via Skype for the first time. The boys were delighted to discover they share common interests, including a passion for science and history.

“He’s a very nice kid. He’s more like my little brother. He’s funny, he likes to make jokes and stuff like that,” says Jylon.   

The Australian boys were keen to ask Saleem how he would spend the money they'd raised.

"I would like anything that can help practice my reading," he replied with the help of an interpreter. Saleem is due to start learning braille at school in November.

"I just want to thank you for everything you are doing for me," he added. "I would love it if you could both come here and visit as soon as possible."

Glenn says the family hasn't ruled out making the journey to Yemen to further strengthen ties between the families. "I can hardly believe that one small idea has grown to what it is so far.”

Jylon, too, has expressed his desire to get to know Saleem better. “It would be really lovely to meet him; I think that he’d like to meet me as well. It would be fantastic if we could learn the same language and maybe talk one-on-one.”

In Yemen, Saleem’s story is slowly becoming a happier one.

On a recent visit to Saleem’s home, Iona Craig observed him adapting to his circumstances with youthful resilience.

“He was actually on his bicycle, believe it or not, despite being blinded, and cycling along the streets in front of his house with his younger brother stood up on the bars behind him, sort of guiding him with his shoulders.”

Saleem rides his bike along near his home in Sana'a, guided by his younger brother. (Image: Iona Craig)

He has also returned to school, where he now studies at al-Noor Institute for the blind.

“Saleem has really come through this, he is almost feels like a young man in many respects even though he is only 12,” Craig adds.

As he continues to grow and develop, Saleem's ties to his new Australian friends look set to endure. The boys plan to keep in touch, and hanging in the al-Harazi home is a framed picture of Jylon and Ashton, with their names printed in Arabic.

Saleem had it made specially, so he can forever remember the boys and their unexpected act of kindness.

 WATCH: Mobile footage of the shooting in Change Square:

Yemen , Rhiannon Elston SBS

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.