Eight-year-old Sidra Al Bordeeni hadn’t ridden a bicycle in over a year—not since a missile strike in Gaza took her arm while she was sheltering at Nuseirat School. But last week, something remarkable happened. As soon as she came back from the clinic in a Jordanian refugee camp with her new prosthetic arm, Sidra hopped on a bike and took off with pure joy.
“She’s out playing now, and all her friends and siblings are fascinated by her arm,” her mother, Sabreen, said over the phone. “I can’t express how grateful I am to see her happy again.”
That moment of happiness was made possible over 4,000 kilometers away in Karachi, Pakistan. A local startup named Bioniks created Sidra’s custom prosthetic using a unique process that involves just a smartphone. Their app takes pictures from different angles to build a precise 3D model, which is then used to craft a personalized artificial limb.
Bioniks’ co-founder and CEO, Anas Niaz, said that while his team has provided over a thousand prosthetic arms to people across Pakistan since 2021, this was their first time helping survivors of war.
Sidra, along with three-year-old Habebat Allah—who tragically lost both arms and a leg in Gaza—received their prosthetics after days of remote consultations and virtual fittings. Niaz then flew to Amman, Jordan, to meet the girls in person and deliver the devices himself.
Sidra’s arm was sponsored by Mafaz Clinic in Amman, while generous donations from Pakistanis helped cover the cost of Habebat’s. Mafaz Clinic’s CEO, Entesar Asaker, praised the partnership with Bioniks, citing the startup’s affordability, remote capabilities, and quick support solutions.
For Sidra and Habebat, this isn’t just about mobility—it’s about reclaiming parts of their childhood stolen by war. And for Bioniks, it’s a powerful beginning in extending their impact beyond borders.
