“A” was taken from her parents in Sudan by relatives at 10 years old. She first lived in Egypt, and then entered Israel and settled in Tel Aviv, where there was abuse in the home. As a young teen, she came to the shelter pregnant, and has been with us ever since. She has grown into a young mother and leader among the women.
Stories
"A"
Agok
Agok, from Sudan, crossed the Sinai with her husband when she was nine months’ pregnant. She gave birth after entering Israel and her husband went to seek help from the army. Tragically, the baby died en route to the hospital. Due to severe economic problems, they couldn’t find afford to pay rent on an apartment. We gave Agok a room and had the joy of seeing their second baby, Manoot, born within minutes of arriving at the hospital.
Asmeret
Asmeret was brought to the shelter by the prison officials as they believed that she was very young, perhaps 15. She was pregnant and had travelled through the Sinai before entering Israel where she was picked up by the authorities. She has no family, so we have become her family to her and her new baby, David.
Azeeb
Azeeb came from Eritrea by herself with her 3 year old daughter and baby girl. They were imprisoned for illegally entering Israel. After her release from prison in the midst of winter, she found herself living on the streets of Tel Aviv, with no home. She and the girls were found sleeping by trash cans on the street. We were able to give them a home and enroll her daughter in school.
Berhin
Called by social workers from a Haifa hospital, we were asked to take in Berhin. Originally from Eritrea, she was being mistreated by her family who were forcing her to have an abortion but she wanted to keep the baby. She came to live with us, and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, who she named “Carmel” after the mountain where she found life!
Brahan
Brahan grew up in Sudan, after fleeing the war in Eritrea. She was badly burned as a child, and decided as an adult to come to Israel to seek a new life. But unbelievably, she was again burned in an electrical fire in an apartment she lived near Tel Aviv which was very poorly maintained. She came straight from a Tel Aviv hospital, suffering tremendous pain and feeling hopeless for her future. She found that the work of Africa’s Heart provided her some income and a sense of self-respect. We hope that she will be able to have a much needed operation soon which will relieve some of her pain.
Ganet
Ganet is originally from Eritrea. She arrived at the shelter deeply depressed. Unfortunately, after her husband was released from prison, he was violent towards her. For this reason, she has continued to live at the shelter where she has found peace and protection. Her baby, Peter, was born as we drove her to the hospital! Throughout the experience, Ganet remained strong. She is a hard worker and helps us care for a young child who was abandoned by his mother.
Lamlam
As a single mother, Lamlam, from Eritrea, was unable to support both her four-year old daughter and new baby. We were asked to take the small family so that they could be reunited, as the new baby had been kept in the hospital for more than a month. We were glad to help them, as her baby would have been handed over to the social services. Now they are all doing well in the shelter and the four year old daughter, Dalena, has learned English quickly and is a source of much joy to everyone!
Maharet
Originally from Eritrea, Maharet came to us from the hospital pregnant with her second child, suffering form depression and trauma due to family separation. She had her baby on the Jewish New Year, and we sensed that it was a new beginning for her, seeing the sadness lift off her. She named her new baby, Bethlehem—a wonderfully name for her.
Shahnour
Shahnour is originally from Bangladesh and was a victim of human trafficking. She came to Israel from Lebanon, where she was employed, but her employer denied her basic human rights. She crossed the border into Israel, where she was wrongfully imprisoned and was brought to us by the Ministry of Justice. From a Muslim background, she experienced the healing love of God while at the shelter.