Meet the Artist: H.F.A.
Posted on July 06 2020
H.F.A. is a SEP artist facing an emergency, for which she had to ask SEP for help: H needed 160JOD (226$) today, to pay her hospital invoice.
H's 5th baby was born less than a week ago at the Jerash hospital, a 10min drive from the camp. If she wants her baby's birth to be registered and for her to receive vaccinations, she must pay the hospital invoice in full - and fast.
H is 30 years old - she has 5 children: the oldest is 10 years old, the youngest, Ghazal, is less than a week old and her birth has not yet been registered.
H had set aside 50JOD to pay for a natural delivery at the local hospital. She did not expect an emergency c-section.
The cesarean cost is 260JOD - UNRWA, the UN Agency in charge of protecting Palestinian refugees, contributes 100JOD towards the bill; she was short of 160JOD. The hospital staff told her she could go home, but her baby's birth certificate would only be issued upon settlement of the full amount. Her baby cannot received her vaccinations, until she has a birth certificate. SEP decided to advance future embroidery payments to H, so that she could meet this emergency obligation.
H's family life is "unstable", 7 people leave in a small shelter, "there is neither work nor money". They depend on aid, month in month out, and her husband finds informal work for a day every 3 months, if he is lucky.
H says SEP is helping ease the pain of her situation as with her income she pays electricity bills and emergency expenses, such as this one.
H is grateful to be able to settle the invoice and is looking forward to starting soon to work on embroidery again, but we were saddened by her comment - which is even more heart-breaking coming from a new mother: "Should we, as human beings, demand a simple right to live a dignified life? Or should basic rights come without having to beg for them?".
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"At the camp, families grow fast and along with the new babies, come more sacrifices. Every child here grows up with a heart is full of wishes and dreams", Nada Syam.
Nada Syam interviewed H.F.A. for SEP. This post's featured image was created by Nada Syam.
