When Europe started closing its borders and refugees entering Greece became stranded, many of them congregated in Idomeni. The informal camp was the largest in Greece, with more than 10,000 people gathering at the Macedonian border hoping to be allowed to continue on their journey. In an unofficial camp, there
Lina, 25, is Serbian-Syrian, born in Serbia to a Serbian mother and Syrian father. When she was 12, her father died, and she traveled to Syria with her mother and older brother, Samir, to return his body to his homeland. They didn’t plan to stay long, but as her mother
It all started as a normal Sabbath—I went to church with my family, and we had lunch with friends. Then I received a phone call: “Get prepared. There are several thousand refugees approaching the Slovenian border.” There was never a question as to whether we would help. A few hours
It’s been three years, but Loubana’s children still have nightmares about the day their Syrian home was bombed. “I remember when I hid under the stairs when the bombs were falling,” says Nour, who was only 6 at the time. Loubana and her family had a good life in Syria.
As president of her village savings and loans (VSL) program, Estelle is a natural leader. Weekly meetings are orderly; small fines are issued for infractions such as tardiness, absence, or losing a key to the lockbox; and she keeps a watchful eye over every transaction as they are recorded in
It is crowded at the train station at Tabanovce as the refugees exit the train. Today they have crossed the border from Greece, where they arrived in Europe, and boarded the train at the first station in Macedonia. The few tents put up for shelters are quickly filled up, and
At one month old, Qamar has nowhere to call home. Her parents, Mustafa and Hala, are refugees who fled Syria to escape growing violence and the threat of terror that surrounded them. They left their home in Damascus two months before we met them. Hala gave birth to beautiful Qamar
On a given day, hundreds of refugees may trickle across borders or they may come in waves of thousands. Today, a group of fifty were crossing into Serbia from Bulgaria, so there was time for ADRA team members to make conversation. One volunteer spoke at length with a father named
Said is only 14, but has experienced hardships that no child should face. In Serbia, he shared his family’s story: “Mom and dad told us that we are going to Europe. We did not took anything with us, except of one spare clothe for each of us. They did not
On the first day of school, Jo walks down familiar streets. When he reaches the schoolhouse, it is no different than before. Fewer people lingering in the street, perhaps. Fewer children laughing on the front lawn. One year ago, the Ebola outbreak was a growing rumor in West Africa. It
Tamilarasi is a 31-year-old mother who is also the breadwinner of her family. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Yenambakkam, Tamil Nadu. Her family’s finances began to dry up after she had to quit her previous job as a papad (dry snack item) vendor. Her husband worked
No one likes being hungry. But when you’re hungry, there’s a big difference between knowing exactly when you’re going to have your next meal and not knowing when you’re going to get something to eat. Beatrice and her family, who live in Kenya, are experiencing real hunger. Real hunger saps
Hannah Ndongu, the Director of Emergency Management at ADRA Africa, shares with us her remarkable journey of over two decades of service as a humanitarian. Ndongu’s journey with ADRA began in 1997, a year that marked the start of her unwavering commitment to serving vulnerable communities across Africa. Over the
In India, ADRA Austria launched an innovative project to provide education to underprivileged children. It’s reported that 21 percent of children in India live in extreme poverty. In order to survive, children are forced into child labor and at times can earn the same amount as an adult to help
Meet Amira, a girl whose childhood was taken from her by bombs and bullets. After fleeing her home in Syria due to the ongoing war, Amira became a child refugee. “For years now, we have been living in tents in this place called a refugee camp,” Amira says. Despite escaping
The Horn of Africa is experiencing the worst drought in four decades, and many leave the region in hopes to better their livelihoods. Regina is one of the millions of people impacted by the drought that has left 80% of the region food insecure. This is her story, and her
As a boy, David, a farmer in the Madagascar town of Mirarisoa, learned about the importance of preserving the environment, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. Growing up to become a rice farmer, David and his wife, Mary, struggled to keep their land from eroding due to
ADRA Continues to Deliver AID at Ground Zero SILVER SPRING, MD (February 22, 2023) – A second major earthquake and dozens of strong aftershocks hit the devastated region of Syria and Türkiye (Turkey), resulting in additional deaths, injuries, and destruction, but the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) remains committed to
Rosalia Mbula has been waiting for the rain to plant her crops since 2020. She chuckles sarcastically as she recalls the last time her vegetable garden bloomed: “My most recent full harvest was in October of 2019. I grew 90 kg of cowpeas, 90 kg of pigeon peas, and 15
If you’ve been part of ADRA’s family for long, you know that we love water! Every single day, we see the life-saving power of water in the lives of people in every single place we work. World Water Day is March 22, but here are a few ways you can
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