Out of the many prayers that Fajr recites daily, there is one in particular that she repeats often: “I pray God extends my life until he gets old enough”. The person she is referring to is her son, Noor, whose birth granted her the nickname of “Um Noor”. Having lost her husband over six years ago, she has been the sole provider for her only son as they settled in Jordan following the Syria crisis, explaining that “Noor is my life, he is my darling. I don’t eat or drink… I do nothing until he’s back home”. 

Unfortunately, Fajr faces enormous odds every day just to provide for her son, let alone herself. She suffers from a spinal cyst and that affects her eyes, which often leads to headaches and pain in her joints. “Be patient, I will become a doctor and take care of you”, her son says, touchingly, every time he witnesses his mother in agony. Unfortunately, they cannot afford to look that far into the future, as every morning Fajr and her son grapple with the harsh reality of the winter cold, which she describes as “a tragedy”. 

However, thanks to UNHCR’s winter assistance, they now have a gas tank which allows them to use a heater for food, tea, and warmth. This makes Fajr and her son one of thousands of refugee and internally displaced families across the region who depend on our support this season. With your generosity, they have been able to benefit from our winter assistance plan which primarily consists of distributing seasonal cash assistance which would help them acquire essential winter items such as heaters, fuel, and winter clothes. Other programmes include shelter weatherproofing and distribution of winter core relief items.