My name is Patricia, and I live in Chicago and have loved getting to know Walaa Naima. She is such an inspiration, moving from deep grief to loving service as an art teacher for orphans, nurturing in them the vision to see beauty and possibility in everything. Her life shows that love finds a way under all circumstances.

Walaa lived a simple life filled with love and stability alongside her husband and their little son, Ismail. She worked selling women’s supplies and teaching art to children.

But everything changed when the war came.

One day, while she was at work, she received the devastating news that her home had been bombed. She rushed back, only to find her house reduced to rubble. Her son Ismail was pulled from under the debris — already gone. Her husband was severely injured and passed away days later.

Walaa lost her entire family, her home, and her job.

She now lives in a tent that offers no real protection from the cold or the harsh conditions.

Yet, she did not give up.

Determined to bring light into the darkness, she began volunteering to teach drawing and art to orphaned children — trying to ease their pain and hers.

Please help Walaa rebuild a small part of her life. She is going through unimaginable hardship and needs a safe place to live.

Your support could mean the world to her.

~

I plan on sending the funds directly to her, and they will go towards all the basics of living: food, housing, clothing, healthcare, and whatever else is needed to not only survive, but thrive. I am also sure that the funds will go towards helping with supplies for her art students as well.