In adversity lies opportunity

Feisal* has no memory of his parents and siblings.

He was barely a year old when they were killed in their home in Somalia and his grandmother fled with him to safety and to raise him on her own.

Then, a few years ago, when he was 20, tragedy struck again. “One day, the only parent I had, who had nurtured me since I was a baby, was shot; with my own eyes, I saw my grandmother killed, Feisal recalls, “At that moment I thought that the world was against me and that there was no hope at all for me.”

But,  Feisal has proved himself an optimist – and a survivor. In time he managed to leave Somalia and found safety in Indonesia, where he heard about CWS and sought help. Now, after just a few years in Jakarta, Faisal volunteers teaching Indonesian language to other asylum seekers and refugees in the UNHCR-funded PURE project.

Life goes on, and recently Feisal and his wife welcomed a baby. “I really appreciate that CWS helped us access a hospital and pay the bill,” says Feisal, who, like other refugees, is supported for essential health care though the UNHCR-funded PURE project. From his own life Feisal surmises, “that in adversities lie opportunity; so I am always optimistic. I hope to be resettled to a third country one day and to build my good future there with my wife and son. I am grateful to CWS, UNHCR and all the organizations that have been here for us.”

*named change to protect identity