As we were lead into a dark, dirty alley, I was wondering where our guide was leading us.  The first steps of a slippery staircase appeared, no light, and jagged stairs. I lifted up my long skirt to make sure I wouldn’t trip. By the time we reached the doorstep, I had already understood that it was a whole new world that I was entering; climbing four such floors was only the beginning. 

Six children were sitting on a sofa with their mother. As she told them to leave the sofas for the guests, they revealed a completely broken sofa, falling apart. She insisted that we sit, showing us as much hospitality as she could.

As we sat, holding on as we could, she told us her story.

Six months since they had left their country, six months since her last child was born; two families living together, and two rooms. One husband is in prison, his visa having expired. While the other chose to flee to his country, probably to avoid such a fate, but his chances of returning are very scarce.

The mother of the second family was sick, and her face full of sorrow.

She hid it in her scarf, barely meeting eyes with us. As our guide translated the words coming from her soft voice, deeper and deeper into their story, two different emotions stirred in me: my heart broke with compassion and was set afire by the will of helping.

We decided to take a walk around the apartment, and as we discovered the sole bedroom and tiny kitchen and bathroom, I was shocked at how little furniture was there. Two beds with no mattresses, three used toothbrushes and a half empty tube of toothpaste, a few spoons and two pots. A fridge that didn’t even close. How could two families live there? The children looked at us, intrigued; I wondered what they did all day with such little space, and nothing to play with. 

Children are the same

With a bag of soft toys, we handed each child a teddy bear. Their smiles were priceless as they timidly reached out to them and held them tightly against their chests, as if to make sure that they could really have and keep them. One little girl who received a pink bear started dancing with it and kissed it. It was heart-warming, and I was struck at the realization that all children are the same; all that differs are the opportunities that are laid before them. 

We also gave them notebooks and pencils to draw with and helped the mother with paying this month’s rent. She told us that she would be looking for a job, but how will she find one when she has six young children to take care of alone, and lives in a city where refugees aren’t accepted by the locals? 

Our mission is to give hope to this region and to such families, but we need your help. The first thing is to take time and pray for their needs, as it can make all the difference. 

Please pray for: 

•         Good health 
•         Finances, finding a job 
•         The children, that they can go to school and receive education and opportunities 

Written by Priscilla Mohr, France

Edited by Hope Rathke and Cayla McCoy