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While we are adjusting to this new “normal” we want you to know that we at Habitat are still working as hard as ever to ensure that everyone has a decent place to call home. If there is something you think Habitat can help you with, please call us at 410-546-1551 and we will do all in our power to aide you, or get you to the people who can. For social support services, call 211 or visit www.211.org. 211 is an excellent resource for emergency needs like food, immediate shelter, or paying bills for housing and other essential services.
While we are all currently forced apart, we are absolutely in this together. If you are among the fortunate who are able to weather this storm with little change in lifestyle or income, please consider your neighbors to whom “shelter in place” may not represent a safe, reliable place, but a much more challenging situation. Your investment can mean stability and safety for a family and their future.
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Read on for “Sam’s Story”
Sam’s story began in February 2015 when his father died of an unexpected heart attack on his way home from work. After having lived over 37 years in Maryland, his father’s wish was to be buried in the family’s ancestral resting place in Yemen. Sam undertook the duty to take his father home. His return plans to America were altered, however, when anti-American rebel troops took over their town. Sam and his family were forced into hiding. While taking daring excursions to find food and water for his family, Sam dodged sniper fire from soldiers with AK-47s perched on rooftops.
Being Americans made his family targets for militants to hold as hostages or use in terror videos against the United States. Word finally reached Sam that a transport bus could take his family away from the fighting. The bus that arrived had too few seats. In an act of self-sacrifice, Sam’s aunts and uncles insisted that the Americans go first and gave their young children to him in hopes that another transport would arrive, and they would soon be reunited. Shortly after, a building collapse killed Sam’s aunts and uncle, leaving the children orphaned. 24-year-old Sam immediately filed the necessary documentation to adopt all 5 children.
Hunted, not for who he was, but what he represented as an American, Sam faced attempted kidnappings and extortion as he registered his family with the International Organization for Migration for evacuation. A local community group formed in Salisbury, called “Committee of Good Samaritans” to help advocate for their rescue. He climbed mountains in the dead of night to get cell signal to coordinate with partners in the US until he was able to bring his mother and children safely home to a small, three-bedroom apartment in Salisbury.
Having heard Sam’s story, Mayor Day of Salisbury delivered a Proclamation in honor of the tremendous sacrifices made to protect our citizens abroad. We at Habitat for Humanity, were touched by their story and have agreed to provide financing for a new home that will be big enough for their new family, but we need your help to do it. Please join us in honoring their courage and heroism by making your donation to Habitat for Humanity, and the “Sam Project.”
