Wednesday, 12 October 2016
A Day with Ahmad
In Lebanon, decades of economic instability and an influx of refugees fleeing conflict in neighbouring Syria have taken their toll on the population.
When resources are strained to breaking point and opportunities are scarce, even working families can struggle to survive. How then must it be for a widow and her orphaned child when the main breadwinner is gone?
Muslim Hands supports over 500 orphans in Lebanon. Thanks to our donors, children like nine-year-old Ahmad Saad Eddin Sheikh Ammar receive the support they need to access everyday basics like food and clothing as well as the education that will enable them to build a better future for themselves.
Thanks to a Muslim Hands sponsor, Ahmad’s mother can afford to send him to the local school. She wakes him at 7am. Sleepily, he gets ready for the day ahead.
‘It’s the key to getting a good job, keeping their dignity and making them a better person. Education is securing needs for when they grow up. And an orphan who has been helped will help another orphan’.
Teachers in the school are briefed about each individual student’s situation so they can avoid sensitive topics in lessons.
The bond between mother and son is unmistakable. She caresses his neck as she speaks to us and patiently guides him through his reading. Her pain at losing her husband is evident, but she puts on a brave face for Ahmad's sake.
Meanwhile, Muslim Hands' orphan care worker Nadia is making coffee in the kitchen for the neighbours and family members that are drifting in and out of the house.
Like all our orphan workers across the world, Nadia is there to provide one to one support for Ahmad and his mother and as she greets the arriving guests warmly (and on a first-name basis) it’s obvious that she is like one of the family.
Every parent wants the best for their child, but what do you do when you can’t provide it for them? It is so important that we show our support for orphans like Ahmad. After all, if that was my son I would hope that someone kind would reach out and show him they care.
