In October 2014, we presented the story of a NEF beneficiary from Zarqa, Jordan, Rania Faysal. Rania was in trouble. Her husband had taken ill, she did not have an income, the roof of her house caved in, and the city authorities were going to evict her family from their residence due to safety concerns. Rania joined the Near East Foundation and the U.S. State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration’s project designed to help those most in need.

In the months after, Rania received business and vocational training, as well as a small startup grant. She began to sell songbirds from her small apartment and started receiving an income. In a short time, this income has helped to turn her life around. Her house is repaired and she is more independent than she’s ever been.