She Dreamed of Life but Faced Death

I Am Not Just a Girl from the Refugee Camp

Joud Faraj: She Dreamed of Life but Faced Death

Tulkarm

The winds of life did not blow as Joud Faraj, a volunteer with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), had hoped. All her dreams faded away, as the streets of her camp, Nur Shams, were destroyed, and her neighbors were displaced. Instead of craving her own path in the flow of life, she found herself exerting all her energy to confront death.

Faraj (21 years old) secures a vital role for herself in the Disaster Management Unit team at the PRCS, working alongside her colleagues. She faces dangers with her smile, cutting through the dark alleys of the camp, helping a displaced person here, providing relief parcels for a steadfast person there, both are from the camp, and both, like the people of the camp, are confronting the ongoing Israeli aggression since the end of last January.

Faraj shares with great enthusiasm: “I enrolled in a first aid course and then volunteered at the PRCS about two years ago. I help people and try to draw a smile on the faces of those who are enduring all this injustice.”

She added: “Nothing has stopped me from taking shifts no matter the time, the place, or circumstances. I am doing a humanitarian work to help the community, the people, my friends, and my country.” 

I Am Not Just a Girl

Faraj said: “Being a girl does not mean I hesitate to take on difficult tasks, go into the field, and help people, people who are my family, my loved ones, my neighbors and my relatives. I love being a strong girl, and I love volunteering as it enhances my spirit of giving and strengthens my personality.”

She added: “Being from the camp gives me a significant advantage at the PRCS. When we evacuate people who are forced to be displaced or when we disribute aid, I know the roads and alleys, I know the people and how to deal with them. I am proud to be the daughter of this camp.”

Great Difficulties

Faraj’s experience has not been without its difficulties, and one of the most difficult moments was when she visited the camp during a tragic invasion by the occupation soldiers. She was shocked by the destruction that had befallen her house and her neighbors’. She felt as if her childhood memories had vanished in the blink of an eye. “This the home of memories, my family’s home, and it was difficult for me to accept this destruction.”

Faraj said: “All the situations that occurred due to this invasion were difficult and affected us psychologically and emotionally. The hardest moment was when I went to the camp to evacuate the people who were forced to be displaced, I saw our house, everything was destroyed, everything was in ruins, my family’s house and all the memories, it was hard for me to accept what had happened.

Despite that suffering, Joud continues to move forward. Being from the camp gives her a unique advantage, and being a girl provides her with another unique advantage. These qualities are crowned by her dedication to volunteering and helping others.