Even if it cost her everything, she would have peace for her children.

Siham once lived a privileged life in Iraq. She graduated with a degree in Media and Communications from the University of Baghdad, widely recognized as one of the best schools in the Middle East. After war broke out in Iraq, Her father and uncle were murdered. Siham was left with no option but to flee with her children and join the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis seeking refuge in Jordan.

"One day I sat down on the edge of the pavement in the street and couldn't stop sobbing," Siham says. "I made a decision that day that I had to be strong and I had to make a home for my children." Siham sold her only remaining treasure––the jewelry that had been her dowry, so she could rent a small apartment for her children.

Siham pays a high price for a tiny corner of peace in the world. Peace is costly. At this season of Thanksgiving, we give thanks for parents like Siham who will struggle and who will win a place of peace for their children, at any cost.  And we give thanks for friends like you who support their second chances to rebuild families and futures.  

Siham gives back. In the Questscope program where she found assistance for her family as an Iraqi woman seeking refuge, she works closely with our mentors and leaders, providing an insider’s insight to improve our understanding and action with courageous women like her.

Because of your generosity, she is able to give generously of her life to her community – where thousands of young boys and girls get second chances for learning, counseling and rebuilding their lives.

Remember Siham this Thanksgiving.  There are tens of thousands like her. Join us as we join her for a future of peace, for her children, for her country, for our world.