- K
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Please, meet the Bakir Family.
The Bakirs--Molod (father, 62 years old), Khiria Mohamed (mother, 62); their adult daughter, Nadeea (22 years old and battling leukemia); their adult son, Mohmmoud (30), his wife, Wardeh (23), and their children Mostafa (2) and Ali (8 months)--fled Aleppo and were granted refuge a few months ago in San Diego, CA.
All seven of them live in a small apartment and are currently depending on meager public and private non-profit resources and support to begin their new lives here in America.
They are a friendly, gracious, welcoming family--the first time I met them, they played eagerly with my two-year-old and offered us some of what they had--tea and fruit. Mostafa is an eager and curious toddler, loading the toy school bus I brought for him with donated blocks and driving around the living room. Ali is a sweet baby, small and delicate-featured and happiest when his mother held him. Both boys were freshly bathed, their little wisps of wet hair carefully combed.
Mohmmoud, the family breadwinner as the sole working-age male, speaks a little English, and attends a class at the local high school to improve. He worked as a tailor in Syria and is eager to find a job, but without language fluency isn't sure what he can do. They have an old van, but the "Check Engine" light is lit and the engine doesn't always start. When I asked (with the help of Google Translate!) if they had seen any of the famous sights of San Diego--the beach or the zoo?--they said no, but for the first time since arriving in America, last week they had walked to a nearby park so their children could play.
They have been through unimaginable hardship and I feel called--as a mother, as an American, as a member of the human race who won the luck-lottery by being born who and when and where I was--to do something to help them. I am asking for your help, too.
If you can make a donation to my GoFundMe page, I would be incredibly grateful. Their list of needs is not long--a kitchen table with six chairs so they can eat together, blankets for their beds, a laptop computer to facilitate communication with far-flung friends and family, bath towels, a dresser, a reliable cell phone, diapers and baby wipes, a comfortable sofa for their living room. Literally ANYTHING you can contribute will be a help to this lovely family.
At this time of year, when many of us are filled with the spirit of gratitude for all the gifts in our lives--the health of our children, the safety of our family, the bounty of food and drink and merriment we share with our friends--I hope we can dedicate ourselves as well to loving our neighbors in need and being living examples of goodwill here on earth.
Additional information:
1. Who Am I? My name is Kelly Dalton, and I am a volunteer with Heart4Refugees, a nonprofit organization based in San Diego that seeks to ensure the 1000 Syrian refugees who have been resettled here are supported during their transition to new lives in America. (https://www.facebook.com/Heart4Refugees/?fref=nf)
2. Where am I from? The beautiful city of San Diego, CA.
3. How do I know the Bakir Family? They are my "adopted" family! I met them in November 2016 when I volunteered to deliver donated Thanksgiving meals, an effort organized through Heart4Refugees. When Heart4Refugees later offered the chance to "adopt" the family and help purchase and deliver items on their holiday "wish list," I was very happy to volunteer. It is my hope that our relationship will continue, and I will be able to offer not only financial help but also the comfort of a supportive friendship as they navigate life in America.
4. How will the funds will be used? In addition to providing the needed items specified by the Bakirs this holiday season, I will be using the funds to help meet their needs (clothing, food, medicine, other household goods; car repairs; bills and rent, etc) until they are gainfully employed and more financially independent. Depending on the amount of money raised, I may be able to support another refugee family--or families--who are also in need, as coordinated by Heart4Refugees.
5. Will funds be given directly to the family? No. Heart4Refugees strongly recommends the funds be used on the family's behalf rather than being delivered directly to the family (for example, it is better to pay rent to the family's landlord than it is to just give cash to the family). This way, volunteers can coordinate to ensure the maximum number of families get what they need.
The Bakirs--Molod (father, 62 years old), Khiria Mohamed (mother, 62); their adult daughter, Nadeea (22 years old and battling leukemia); their adult son, Mohmmoud (30), his wife, Wardeh (23), and their children Mostafa (2) and Ali (8 months)--fled Aleppo and were granted refuge a few months ago in San Diego, CA.
All seven of them live in a small apartment and are currently depending on meager public and private non-profit resources and support to begin their new lives here in America.
They are a friendly, gracious, welcoming family--the first time I met them, they played eagerly with my two-year-old and offered us some of what they had--tea and fruit. Mostafa is an eager and curious toddler, loading the toy school bus I brought for him with donated blocks and driving around the living room. Ali is a sweet baby, small and delicate-featured and happiest when his mother held him. Both boys were freshly bathed, their little wisps of wet hair carefully combed.
Mohmmoud, the family breadwinner as the sole working-age male, speaks a little English, and attends a class at the local high school to improve. He worked as a tailor in Syria and is eager to find a job, but without language fluency isn't sure what he can do. They have an old van, but the "Check Engine" light is lit and the engine doesn't always start. When I asked (with the help of Google Translate!) if they had seen any of the famous sights of San Diego--the beach or the zoo?--they said no, but for the first time since arriving in America, last week they had walked to a nearby park so their children could play.
They have been through unimaginable hardship and I feel called--as a mother, as an American, as a member of the human race who won the luck-lottery by being born who and when and where I was--to do something to help them. I am asking for your help, too.
If you can make a donation to my GoFundMe page, I would be incredibly grateful. Their list of needs is not long--a kitchen table with six chairs so they can eat together, blankets for their beds, a laptop computer to facilitate communication with far-flung friends and family, bath towels, a dresser, a reliable cell phone, diapers and baby wipes, a comfortable sofa for their living room. Literally ANYTHING you can contribute will be a help to this lovely family.
At this time of year, when many of us are filled with the spirit of gratitude for all the gifts in our lives--the health of our children, the safety of our family, the bounty of food and drink and merriment we share with our friends--I hope we can dedicate ourselves as well to loving our neighbors in need and being living examples of goodwill here on earth.
Additional information:
1. Who Am I? My name is Kelly Dalton, and I am a volunteer with Heart4Refugees, a nonprofit organization based in San Diego that seeks to ensure the 1000 Syrian refugees who have been resettled here are supported during their transition to new lives in America. (https://www.facebook.com/Heart4Refugees/?fref=nf)
2. Where am I from? The beautiful city of San Diego, CA.
3. How do I know the Bakir Family? They are my "adopted" family! I met them in November 2016 when I volunteered to deliver donated Thanksgiving meals, an effort organized through Heart4Refugees. When Heart4Refugees later offered the chance to "adopt" the family and help purchase and deliver items on their holiday "wish list," I was very happy to volunteer. It is my hope that our relationship will continue, and I will be able to offer not only financial help but also the comfort of a supportive friendship as they navigate life in America.
4. How will the funds will be used? In addition to providing the needed items specified by the Bakirs this holiday season, I will be using the funds to help meet their needs (clothing, food, medicine, other household goods; car repairs; bills and rent, etc) until they are gainfully employed and more financially independent. Depending on the amount of money raised, I may be able to support another refugee family--or families--who are also in need, as coordinated by Heart4Refugees.
5. Will funds be given directly to the family? No. Heart4Refugees strongly recommends the funds be used on the family's behalf rather than being delivered directly to the family (for example, it is better to pay rent to the family's landlord than it is to just give cash to the family). This way, volunteers can coordinate to ensure the maximum number of families get what they need.