WHO IS FATIMA

Fatima is a refugee that has secured asylum in the United States after escaping genocide in Sudan.  She vividly remembers watching her brother chopped to death in Sudan at the hands of the Janjaweed’s sword-wielding militias.

“He was running towards me and right before my eyes they pulled out a sword and slaughtered him,” she said. “In Sudan, a lot of women like to wear white. That day, my entire dress was covered in blood.”

She frantically ran around the village looking for help and kept coming across dead body after dead body as she recalls 50-65 people in her village were murdered that morning. She came across a baby that was breast feeding a mother sitting against the tree - but the mother was dead yet the baby was still trying to feed.

“The mom had been clearly dead for a couple of days, but somehow the baby was still alive,” Fatima said. “When you see so much death and destruction, sometimes you think to yourself ‘Why was I even created in this world?”

HOW IS SHE NOW

Fatima is living here in the United States now under protection of asylum. She’s been jailed in the past by the Sudanese government for speaking out about all the atrocities there so her name has been changed to protect her safety.

She is being assisted by Smile, a non-profit in the NYC/NJ area aimed at uplifting and assisting families in need.   Together we are teaming up with storyteller Aman Ali to help her get on her feet and establish some kind of “normalcy” for her and her family for the bloodshed and atrocities they’ve witnessed in Sudan for almost 20 years.

“What’s happening in Sudan is unlike anything I’ve seen in the world,” she said. “Especially where I was living in Darfur. Anyone who tries to stand up to the government - the government tries to completely destroy them.”

The last time Fatima saw or heard from her husband was in 2004. She has searched mass grave after mass grave to find his body so she is forced to come to the painful assumption that he is dead.

She brings up the atrocities done by the government and Janjaweed militias she’s seen over and over again because she doesn’t want these outrages to fall on deaf ears.

“In one village, there were 200 people that were raped in one day,” she said. “I know a man, they raped his wife and three children in front of them. Almost every woman I know in Darfur has been raped. They walkout to run an errand and they will get raped. People have become animals.”

We know how hard this is to read. But again, think about how hard it is for Fatima to share this story, let alone endure it. She recalls some of the most violent and traumatic moments of her life, yet does it with so much calm and poise. She speaks with so much grace as if she is a head of state.

“Allah has given me so much strength,” she said. “That’s why I feel like I have to do something with it and get this message out there.”

Smile, along with other agencies, worked with Fatima to bring her three children over, who she reunited with in Ramadan after being away from them for over six years.  She got a job as a home health aide and recently moved to upstate NY to live with her kids in a much more affordable and serene environment.

WHY SEND HER TO HAJJ

This year, we are asking you to join us giving Fatima the gift of a lifetime, the gift of Hajj. She’s gone through so much in her life and as God continues to watch over her, we want to give her the opportunity to thank Him directly.

We are trying to raise $13,000 to cover the cost of the hajj trip (through Dar El Salaam Travel) as well as additional expenses needed to cover while she is away for the month. We are working with numerous organizations as well as the State Department to clear her for travel and protect her for any potential issues for her to travel overseas. Any additional money above this amount we raise will go directly towards securing her family’s stability in upstate NY.

“My only goal here is to bring awareness to people about what’s happening in Sudan,” she said. “Talking about it more gives the opportunity for more people there to be helped. Allah says in the Quran that the duaa (prayer) made during a catastrophe or time of need are the ones that are most accepted. So I always make dual for the people that help me here.”

This is our opportunity to step up and help. For the past few years, we have done tremendous things together on this Facebook page sending incredible human beings to Hajj. Last year we sent a domestic violence survivor struggling to make ends meet to Hajj - she now has full time employment and doing well mashAllah. And the year before, we sent a blind chef, who is now mashAllah running a fairly successful catering business out of his house.

We can’t begin to tell you how much your support actually matters. It literally is transforming people’s lives. Give everything that you’re comfortable giving today - we promise you it is the best thing you will do today. Even if it’s just a dollar. NO AMOUNT IS TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH TO CHANGE SOMEONE'S LIFE.  Every dollar you give brings us closer to this blessed opportunity to improving someone's life.