Middle East
Afghanistan
In August 2021, thousands of Afghans among them are minority group such as Christians and Hazaras who were stuck at the Kabul airport following the collapse of the Afghan government and military were finally airlifted to safety. TBP was among several NGOs engaged in this effort and has provided housing, food, water, hygiene kits and other essentials to more than 2,700 evacuees.
Unfortunately, months after the evacuation, most of these refugees remain stranded in camps in the Middle the East awaiting to be resettled in other countries. They mostly belong to minority groups such as Christians, Hazaras and others, and are completely dependent on foreign aid. They are in desperate need of basic assistance, but with your help, TBP will continue to extend a helping hand until they are relocated overseas.
Let us not forget those who stood by us in our time of need!
Egypt
The Blessing Projects continues to provide financial support to a social entrepreneurship program which combats poverty and persecution of Coptic women and girls who are at high risk of, or have experienced, kidnapping, rape, forced marriage, or forced faith conversion.
Dozens of vulnerable women and girls continue to receive vocational training in sewing to establish their own small businesses.
TBP also helped a family start their own small business, which lifted them from extreme poverty, restoring their sense of dignity and instilling hope for a better future.
Iraq
In order to help Internally Displaced People in Northern Iraq survive the freezing winter, The Blessing Projects continues to provide food, medication, and diesel fuel to hundreds of families.
TBP launched “Cash for Work,” a three-month program that offers professional training to individuals at risk while paying them a salary to support their families. 28 young men and women have participated so far. As part of the program, they received training in a profession of their choice and up to $550 USD per month. The program has been a success and received positive feedback from community leaders.
Lebanon
The Blessing Projects provides food, medication, clothes, and financial assistance to hundreds of the poorest in Lebanon.
A garden was planted and is currently providing fresh produce to those in need.
A livestock farm was also recently purchased to provide milk and eggs to dozens of families.
Following the August 4 Beirut Port explosion, TBP helped repair hundreds of homes and offices, and distributed food and medical packages to hundreds of people who were injured or displaced by the blast.
Syria & Jordan
The Blessing Projects supports displaced and persecuted religious minorities with medical, financial, and other forms of aid. So far, 3 families have been rescued from highly dangerous combat zones and moved to safety in Jordan.
Maha is a 24-year-old woman who grew up in difficult circumstances. At the age of 10, her father Aamer, lost their home, properties and all their money in gambling. Her mother was no longer faithful to her husband and engaged in extramarital affairs.
From a young age Maha had been a victim of sexual harassment, first by her neighbors then by her own cousins. She always fought back and defended herself but never reported any of the incidents fearing that her parents would not believe her and would even physically harm her. In the Middle East, many women who are raped end up being killed by members of their own family in what is known as “honor killings.”
When Maha’s sister Nada started dating Hamid, a young man from the neighborhood, her father did not object. But one day, Hamid realized that Maha was alone in the house and showed up uninvited. He started harassing her, then pinned her to the wall and began touching her. Luckily, Maha’s screaming forced Hamid to flee leaving the young woman in shock. Despite everything, she did not tell anyone about the incident fearing that her father would side with Hamid against her. Aamer loved Hamid and treated him like his own son, especially after the young man bailed him out of jail and paid all his debts.
Shortly afterwards, Hamid apologized to Maha and proceeded to marrying Nada. Maha accepted the apology, but always kept her distance when he was around, making sure that the two were never left alone together. A few weeks later, when her sister and mother were at the market, Hamid seized the opportunity to finish what he once started with Maha. He grabbed her forcefully and began touching and kissing her. Terrified, Maha started screaming and managed to run away from the house. She waited in the streets by herself for hours until her mother and sister came back home. When Maha finally told her mom what had happened, she began crying and felt helpless.
After the incident, Maha moved away to live with her grandparents. She was unhappy in her new environment, and failed at school several times. To make things worse, many young men started harassing her after they learned about her story and realized that no one will believe her if she was to report them. While on her way back from school, Maha was attacked and almost raped. Life had turned into a living hell for Maha, and she decided to leave her hometown and continue her studies in the capital city.
Shortly after her parents divorced, Maha informed her family of her decision to move. Upon hearing the news, her cousin attacked and violently beat her, claiming that she will dishonor the family by seeking to live on her own in a large city. Many backward men in remote parts of the Middle East still don’t support women receiving an education and believe that they should never leave their father’s home unless they are getting married. But Maha was determined to move forward with her plans and relocated to the city where she found a job and began having a life of her own.
During her time there, Maha’s parents did not call her unless they needed money. They resented the fact that she had become a free woman living by her own rules and began threatening her. Her relatives accused her of inappropriate behavior and also began threatening to kill her.
Maha was working 12 hours shifts and was tired both physically and mentally. She was on the verge of collapsing and realized that she needed to escape from the horrible conditions she was living in. She reached out to TBP and asked for help. The team put together a plan to rescue Maha and relocated her to a safe location. Shortly afterwards, Maha was moved to a neighboring country far away from danger and threats. Her family was furious and kept threatening to kill her claiming that she had dishonored them. Her father and cousins are still searching for her to this day.
After moving her to safety, TBP continued to provide Maha with protection and all her basic needs. Our team is currently working on relocating her to a Western country where she can live in freedom far away from death threats.
*All names were changed to protect the identity of the victims.