Entering a home with corners of green plants, troublesome sun rays, clean and white walls would provide visitors with a great amount of positive vibes, and pinches of comfort. This is exactly what happened when the team of Habitat for Humanity Jordan visited Feryal’s home, the energetic smiley old lady.
“There is nothing like doing good. May God bless those who do goods for others; those who feed hungry people, shelter homeless ones, and wipe the tears of criers” Feryal Mostafa prayed loudly directed to Habitat for Humanity Jordan team who came to her home for a visit to check it after being repaired and maintained.
Feryal, who is in her sixties, is an Iraqi widow who fled to Jordan after the Iraq war,
seeking for shelter and peace. She lives alone in one of the eastern areas of Amman. She only receives less than $150 every month from the Zakat Fund and the Ministry of Development. She rents a house, and she can barely cover her expenses.
Her house used to have different problems, mainly safety and security problems; the floor of the house was cement, sloped, and not tiled. It was gloomy, full of dents, which caused Ferial to fall more than once, in addition to facing difficulty in cleaning the floor due to the stagnation of water in some hollows and the accumulation of dust and dirt in the irregular spaces. There were also some other problems, the windows of the house, for example, were broken and there was no front door, so she used to sleep alone while her house door was open leaving her insecure and feeling unsafe. In addition, there were some other problems also regarding lighting, sanitation, and the walls’ condition.
When HFH Jordan knew about Feryal, they hurried to her home conducting socio-
economic and technical assessments to see what kind of efficient Habitat can offer. When they found such problems they fastened a main door, a door for the toilet, as well as new windows to keep her safe and away from any danger. The floor also was tiled, the walls were painted, some lights were installed on the ceiling of the home, the toilet was maintained, and all leakages were stopped.
When HFH Jordan team asked Feryal about her feelings towards the maintenance achieved, she answered: “This is a big difference. I used to spend most of my time outside my home, visiting friends or relatives, avoiding myself from being or sleeping here alone with all previous miserable and messy conditions. But now, things have been changed, now I love to stay at home, confident and proud enough to host my friends and spend my time with them here”, she also added “from the time I got my home repaired, I started to practice my hobby, which is planting, as I like to grow plants everywhere and to see them
extended on the dine walls”.
In case you would like to visit Feryal, you would immediately feel as if you were at your home. She is a lovely lady, who is open to the world and likes to host everyone telling them old stories about her beloved country “Iraq ” where she spent her childhood and talking about her family members who sacrificed themselves for the sake of their homeland. Sitting on the couches of Feryal’s home makes you feel her home intimacy, forces you to smile and share with her some funny moments, especially when she introduces you to her friend “Hajji Dadoo”: a tiny plant with a man’s head.
