One of the most important parts of any community work is creating a safe place—a place where people can share their stories or ask for help without fear of judgment.Seeds of Hope works every day to create that space in Jericho. While the approach may look different depending on the needs of the community members, the goal is always the same. We want to be known as a place of refuge and restoration for the community of Jericho.
Last month, a group of fifteen people from North Point Ministries exemplified this goal by serving the people of Jericho through our spa week and construction projects.
Half of the group hosted spa days at Seeds of Hope for the women of Jericho. These days exist to serve and nurture local women who are so often serving and nurturing others. Seeds of Hope purposefully staffs these projects with women to create the most comfortable space possible for Muslim women who attend. Manicures, pedicures, facials, even some group yoga—the North Point team did it all! In just four days, this team provided 200 services for the women and girls who attended.
The spa days don’t stop with cosmetics, though. In fact, team members noted how surprised they were at the way the women opened up to them during their time together. The atmosphere of trust and care at the spa days inspired vulnerability and connection for the women, and these moments of connection created a safe place where the women could truly rest—both in body and spirit.
“We always say our spa teams are women coming to serve the community by creating a safe place,” says Khader Ghanim, Seeds of Hope CEO. “Women here in Jericho do not often find a place without judgment to share their most profound stories, but these women visit—and even though they are ‘strangers,’ the local women trust them with abandon.”
While half of the team facilitated these meaningful connections, the other half was across town, changing the lives of a young family forever. The team traveled to one of Jericho’s smallest yet most populated encampments to help a family in need.
Saef first came into contact with Seeds of Hope when his mother, Iman, began working in the Daycare thirteen years ago. Being around Seeds of Hope for that long, Saef has had a front-row seat to the impact we’ve been able to make on his community. Because of this impact, he also began working for Seeds of Hope a year ago.
When he realized his extended family was in need, he came to Seeds of Hope for the solution.
Saef’s family members are a young couple—who are expecting a child—living in a small, two-story home with a ladder taking the place of a safe stairway. Because of this, the pregnant wife could barely access the second floor at all, and it was a hazard in their home. When Saef saw this need, he came to Seeds of Hope to enlist help for his family. Because of the work of our construction team, Saef’s family now has an updated, safe home where they will welcome their child.
“I am amazed this has happened,” said Saef. “[My relative] is nine months pregnant. It’s already dangerous for her to go up and down the ladder to move around their home, but I can’t imagine what that would be like for her when she is carrying a newborn. What a relief that it’s finished now!”
“You can see how happy my family is. They are beaming with thankfulness. They have stairs and newly painted walls—like a new home for the arrival of their new baby!”
–Saef, Seeds of Hope Employee
PHOTO: A project team member poses next to the completed stairway!
Without the trust of a young man like Saef, Seeds of Hope would have never known about this family. He was able to advocate for his family’s needs because of the connection he made with Seeds of Hope thirteen years ago. Even more, many families living in the camps around Jericho are skeptical of Seeds of Hope as a Christian organization and often won’t let us in to help. Because Saef sees Seeds of Hope as a place of safety and aid, his family was willing to trust us with the task of helping build them a brighter future.
Through every project team that visits or new family who learns about our school, Seeds of Hope is creating hundreds of connections just like Saef. Men, women, and children in the community are placing more trust in Seeds of Hope—one interaction at a time—and these small moments are creating the safe spaces that people in Jericho need.
