As Seeds of Hope has expanded in our influence and impact in Jericho over the years, one of the most significant changes has been how the community receives us. In our early years, many people wanted nothing to do with us. They were skeptical of our motives and closed off to our help.
Over time, our reputation has solidified as an organization of integrity and compassion. People know that Seeds of Hope will do whatever we can to help someone in need. We are trusted and welcomed in our community in ways that never felt possible.
Just this week, a project team from Grace Church helped pioneer a new venue of impact for Seeds of Hope. Jericho has many refugee camps and Bedouin communities in the surrounding area. Each community has its own leadership and culture, and they have welcomed our help to varying degrees over the years.
For years, the largest refugee camp in Jericho has rejected any help from Seeds of Hope or our project teams. They knew that our teams were usually made up of Christians and were fearful of evangelism or ulterior motives. We were forbidden to enter the camps for many years—until we got to know Yasser.
Yasser lives in this refugee camp and runs a bus rental company. We began to hire Yasser to transport our project teams around Jericho. For days at a time, Yasser would drive our teams around the area and see their impact on local families. He grew to know and trust our staff team. Eventually, Yasser came to us and asked if we could help his neighbor.
PHOTO: Yasser and his bus have helped us move project teams all over our area! After building trust with Seeds of Hope, he convinced his neighbors to be open to our help.
The Abu Asseeda family lived in a crowded home with relatives until they were given a half-destroyed home in the refugee camp. As a family of five, they were grateful for the space, but the situation was less than ideal. Initially half-mud, half-brick, their neighbors helped them remove the mud walls and build a bedroom and makeshift kitchen. However, they were still without electricity and running water. In the time since, the father has become unable to work for medical reasons, leaving only his 21-year-old son to provide for his parents and two younger sisters.
Yasser convinced his neighbors to meet with us and allow Seeds of Hope into the camp. They eventually trusted us to help them, and Grace Church helped fund a construction project to rebuild parts of their own.
Thanks to your ongoing support and the team from Grace Church, we were able to continue the generous work their neighbors began by finishing off their kitchen. We added tile flooring, put stucco on the walls, added windows and doors, and outfitted the whole thing with electric wiring and indoor plumbing.
“I have lived all of my life in this refugee camp,” Yasser told us. “I have seen many organizations come in and help people in different places. I used to think I knew what it meant to help, but now my standards have risen.” Yasser went on to tell us how his neighbors were overwhelmed with gratitude for the work Grace Church had completed. “I didn’t realize how this simple act of kindness can improve a life so much,” he continued. “What an awesome thing to do for someone.”
A project this significant not only gives the Abu Asseeda family a safer, more sanitary place to live and prepare their meals, but it’s also a game-changer for their emotional and mental morale. Suddenly, there’s hope for a better future that they didn’t have before. There’s momentum in the right direction as they fight to rebuild their lives. And best of all, there’s the knowledge that they don’t have to go through any of it alone. A community is waiting to support them and help them along the way.
Projects like these are a testament to your long-term investment through Seeds of Hope in the community. If it weren’t for years of projects, programs, and support, Yasser would never have trusted enough to bring us into his community. Thank you for making stories like this possible!
