HOME IS WHERE THE MOTHER’S HEART IS

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MAR 2022 | BETTER WORLD MAGAZINE HOME IS WHERE THE MOTHER’S WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO BUILD A NEW LIFE FOR YOUR FAMILY? By Bethany Cliff HEART IS

As a young mum, Rose (pictured below in green) gathered her children and fled their home in South Sudan—a country ravaged by civil war—seeking a safer life for her family.

Over four million people from South Sudan are displaced and almost 400,000 have been killed since the civil war began in 2013. Rose’s husband stayed behind to fight on the frontline. She hasn’t heard from him since.

‘I didn’t know how I would make ends meet as a single refugee mother,’ Rose said.

Rose and her children are just one family amidst the nearly 82.4 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world today*—many of whom are women, children and the elderly. War, persecution and climate crises tear families apart and people from their homes and livelihoods.

Like Rose, Dalila (pictured left) fled as bombs inched closer to her family in Syria. Once in Lebanon, Dalila and her husband struggled to find a place to live or work to provide for their three children.

Today, many refugee mothers like Dalila and Rose long for a safe home for their children. Each situation is complex and unique, according to Sophie Nasrallah, our local Christian Partner in Beirut and mother of two. She said although COVID has made their situations more challenging, our Partners have still been able to support those who’ve fled their homes and lost everything.

With support from God’s people in Australia, our local Christian Partners are offering hospitability, care and new homes for those caught in the global refugee crisis. This means immediate support for those fleeing Ukraine; long-term community programs helping families in Lebanon and Uganda establish safe and secure homes; and prayer gatherings bringing the cries of those in Myanmar and Afghanistan before our God. In October 2020, Rose joined a program that our local Christian Partner runs in northern Uganda. She improved her farming and savings skills, and her passion for agriculture grew. After taking a loan from her savings group and investing in seeds, she harvested 300kg of maize grains and can now afford to pay her children’s school fees. She can also provide them with nutritious food, clothes to wear and a safe home.

Dalila, too, received similar support. ‘I had never put a foot in a church before, but I was warmly welcomed,’ Dalila said. As Christian Partners with Baptist World Aid, the church in Beirut listened to her and asked what her family needed. They provided blankets, hygiene kits and fuel vouchers to help Dalila’s family survive the harsh winter.

‘We believe that no amount of darkness will be able to overcome God’s light shining through the relief efforts of our team,’ Sophie said. ‘Despite everything going on, we see God working in these families, and that’s clear.’

‘I didn’t know how I would make ends meet as a single refugee mother.’

ROSE