Imagine being scared that you and your four children would be kicked out of your apartment because you couldn’t pay rent. And that the reason you couldn’t pay rent is that you’ve fled from a civil war after your husband has been killed, and you can’t work because you need to look after your children.
This is the daily reality for Mervatte. Mervatte Za`rour is a 39 year-old Syrian refugee who moved to the Madaba governorate in Southern Jordan last year to escape the violence and turmoil of her own war-torn country. Her husband was killed in the conflict and she was forced to leave Syria as a widow with four children.
With refugee camps filled to capacity in Jordan and skyrocketing rent prices in urban areas, finding a place to live has been a major challenge for her. Staying far longer than she had planned to, and having no rights to work, Mervatte and her family are falling into debt and at risk of living on the streets.
“I struggled to find a place that protects me and my children. The landlord for our apartment gives me short notice to pay the rent and he threatens to kick us out if we don’t pay on time,” says Mervatte.
Mervatte struggles monthly to make her rent payment of 100 JOD (roughly $150 AUD). She cannot leave her children alone to try and find work on the informal market. She is unable to send her children to school because she cannot afford books, supplies and the cost of transportation.
Her 7 year old daughter, Qamar, suffers from a disability due to oxygen shortage to her brain and needs continuous care and daily medication.
“I need medicine for my son as well and it is very expensive. I could easily say that I lack many things but the rent is most essential for me especially now that my sister and her daughter are living with us. We all need safe shelter before thinking of food or education for our children’s future. This is our desperate present and we pray for our future,” concludes Mervatte.
Caritas Jordan is helping Mervatte with monthly rental assistance.* This will help alleviate the economic burden, to make it a bit more possible for her to meet the immediate needs of her family. This way, hopefully, she will no longer have to choose between providing for her family with food, healthcare, education or shelter.
*This emergency response project is supported by Caritas Australia through funding from the AusAID Humanitarian Partnership Agreement.