Today’s story is about a family living in Sebastia, a place rich in history and archeological value in Palestine. The city is located 12 Km northwest of the city of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Sebastia “was a regional capital during the second Iron Age and a major urban center during the Hellenistic-Roman period. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Palestine and remains known by its ancient name, indicating a strong element of cultural continuity. Christian and Islamic traditions place the tomb of John the Baptist here.”[1]

Samah is a young Palestinian woman from Sebastia. She is a mother full of love and care for her children, as well as a compassionate, beautiful and strong wife. Married since 2006, Samah and her husband Nayef built a family with three girls and one boy.

In the first year of their marriage, Samah and Nayef worked together in the field they rented as farmers. They worked hard, planting vegetables, harvesting them, and selling what the land produced to earn an income. Unfortunately, despite their hard work and due to the seasonality of produce, the money they earned through farming was barely enough to cover their family’s basic monthly living expenses. As a result, Nayef started a second job in construction.

In an unfortunate accident, Nayef’s leg was severely injured when some very heavy construction material fell on him. Bashir did not report the incident to the higher authorities because he was working for a close friend that did not have the proper insurance to cover work accidents. By preserving his friendship, Nayef was faced with finding a cure for his injured leg and paying medical expenses on his own. 

Since his family barely made enough income to pay for food, it was difficult to pay for his leg treatments. In a short period of time, Nayef developed health complications and was diagnosed with diabetes, causing him to start losing sight in his left eye.

Faced with her husband’s declining health and struggling to afford living expenses, Samah found herself assuming the roles of mother, father, wife, and the only breadwinner for her family. Samah is a strong, smart woman who had to take action to save her family. Therefore, she took a loan from some friends to buy several sheep, which she knew represented a more productive product than growing seasonal produce. Through her own resourcefulness, Samah made milk, cheese, butter, and meat to be sold in the local market.

Just when she finally thought she could breathe a sigh of relief, complications emerged. Samah raised the sheep in the small yard of her house, which resulted in annoyed neighbors due to the animal waste, smell and sound. Samah was forced to give up on this project as the neighbors could not bear the animals anymore. However, Samah could not stand by and watch her family collapse. Therefore, she took a fulltime job in a kindergarten for 170 USD per month.

Despite all of her hard work, Samah ultimately had to give up all of her outdoor jobs the moment her husband’s illness rapidly degenerated into requiring dialysis. While juggling caring for her family and earning money through her new job, Samah accompanies her sick husband during his dialysis process three times a week in Nablus Hospital, the closest medical center to Sebastia.

With some help from Samah's family, they were able to get public medical insurance for Bashir to cover his diabetes expenses. While grateful to finally have insurance, their plan does not cover transportation costs. The family must spend 200 USD per month to travel from their home in Sebastia to the hospital in Nablus, which they can barely afford.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Samah and Nayef's family experienced significant negative consequences. Currently, their family of six lives in a small house with only two rooms and one bathroom. To afford each week’s expenses, they depend on generous donations from the local community in their village. However, these donations remain insufficient compared to the mounting medical costs.

Samah believes it is necessary to earn a stable income for her family through a sustainable project. They hope to sell products in the local market, as well as lead guided tours for locals through Sebastia.

With hope and love, this story is told to the world so we can help this family through their difficult times.

Samah and Nayef's family look for your financial support in order to cover the transportation fees to and from the hospital. They also wish to buy a small electric vehicle to increase Nayef’s mobility. This will help him sell products in the local market to earn a sustainable income for the family. In addition, this vehicle can be used to take tourists on a city tour through the famous archeological sites of Sebastia with ruins dating back to 10,000 BC.

Help us collect 18,000 USD to support Samah & Nayef.

"Because it's time to act BIG, FAZAA, for Humanity"

Note: The names of the characters in this story are not real; in order to avoid hurting families' feelings and to preserve privacy.

[1] Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities: Travel Palestine: http://www.travelpalestine.ps/en/article/70/Sebastia