Home

And a safe bed we made

Rima, a woman from northern rural Aleppo, was forced to flee her hometown because of the poor security conditions. She and her family of 7 children—the eldest of whom is 12 and the youngest 4 months old—currently live in an unfinished house at Daff al-Sakhr, Jaramana district, Rural Damascus.
From the Child Protection case manager who follows up on the family’s file we learned that four-month-old ‘Abd was suffering from a severe allergy resulting from his sleeping on the floor in a cold house full of dust. His mother had to take him repeatedly to the doctor to ease bouts of coughing and wheezing. Not to mention the risk of being bitten by rodents that swarm in unfinished buildings.
Then it occurred to us to tell the beneficiaries in the carpentry course (Vocational Training Program) about the family’s predicament and see whether they could be of help. Soon enough, a small, simple, lovely bed was specially made for ‘Abd!
When we went to Rima’s house to check on the family and deliver the bed, she warmly greeted us and was sincerely thankful. Then, without a second thought, she made the bed and put the baby in it.
‘Abd’s siblings rejoiced, though with a sigh. “Sister, you remind us of the bed we used to have back home,” said one of the baby’s brothers. “Just for ‘Abd?” asked his sister. “But we’re still sleeping on the floor, all the rest of us!”
I explained to them that the bed was now necessary to heal their little brother’s discomfort, that many many families had lost their homes and all their furniture as well.
Indeed, in the current circumstances of the war, where so many families have lost their homes and furniture, vocational training is proving useful in the sense that it can help a large number of internally displaced families meet some of their urgent needs for relative comfort and safety.