Grantees’ Stories

The following are excerpts from letters written by our colleague Cathy Breen in Syria, who is distributing monies from the Iraqi refugee fund.

“All of the money you have sent has gone directly to needy Iraqi families or individuals. Much of the money went to groups of individuals and families to help cover their rent and food. About $600 went to Mustafa for growth hormone injections because of his failure-to-thrive syndrome. Another $200 went for diagnostic tests for Ronald, an 11-year-old boy, who has become progressively ill, physically and mentally over the last two years. Another $200 went for a refrigerator for a young couple with a 2-year-old daughter who are living in a room on the rooftop of a house here. They have no furniture and yet their room with mats on the floor is clean and lovely.”

“Like all Iraqi men, Ali’s father is not permitted to work legally. He showed me the stamp in his passport saying “No work allowed.”  He was selling Kleenex on the street, but for the last four months he has been working illegally as a welder.  Sometimes the police come to his workplace and he hides or runs. Now his eyes are failing and a doctor told him he has to leave that work.  He makes about $24 a week. They pay $100 monthly for rent which doesn’t include electricity and water. They do not receive cash assistance nor do they get food rationing.  If there is a male member in the household between the ages of 15 and 60 years, the family doesn’t qualify for monthly cash assistance.

Several of their uncles, a nephew and a brother-in-law were killed. Another uncle was kidnapped and they have never found out what happened to him. When I asked gently if they ever would think of returning to Iraq the father told me, “Never. It would be the end of us. When we just think of it the older boys begin to cry.”

“More than a few Iraqi young men shared privately with us how they had been “sacrificed” in primary school to join Saddam’s Special Guard so that the rest of their family could live a more “normal” life.  However at the collapse of Saddam’s regime, they became targeted. Now in Syria, the anti-Bathist sentiments mean they are still targeted and live in hiding, without legal status and with no hope of resettlement.”

“I can’t tell you how grateful Iraqis are for the money. We tell them it represents many people in the United States. More important than the small gesture of money however is the message that these gifts send them that they are not forgotten. There are some Americans thinking of them and trying to better their situation.”

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