Meeting Rouhaifa
Extract from the Diary
by Elisabeth Ullmann
We arrive in Beirut at around two in the morning. We are met by Jamil Massaad who, as we find out during the drive, is the village director of SOS Children's Village Bhersaf. He is a long-standing co-worker of SOS Children's Villages Lebanon. Previously, whilst the war was at its worst, he worked in the SOS Children's Village Sferai. We drive up a winding mountain road for about an hour. It is only the following morning that we see where we have ended up. The SOS Children's Village lies at about one thousand metres above sea level. There is a wonderful view of Beirut and the sea from the balcony of the SOS aunts’ house, where I am staying. However, during the week we spend here, we often see how the fog envelops everything in sight.
As far as the countryside is concerned, I have a strange feeling for a few days that something is not quite right. Whilst we are going for a drive through the mountains, it suddenly dawns on me: the countryside is hilly and sometimes rocky. There are small gorges in between. These gorges are so narrow that the people have built their villages on the hills. The little whitewashed towns and villages are all on top, and that is what seemed so peculiar to me, because in the mountains at home it is exactly the opposite. I am told that this also has to do with the climate being more pleasant on the hills than in the valleys.
Rouhaifa invites us for lunch. She gives me the impression of being balanced and calm. After the meal, she and the children tidy the room together. All of the children do their bit. I am totally impressed when it is time for homework. Each child has its place and Rouhaifa sits amongst them, looks after the baby and, at the same time, answers their questions, gets the children to read to her and checks their maths and spelling exercises. No wonder she later tells me that she would like the assistance of a tutor.
A visit to her parents’ home: Rouhaifa's mother, brothers and sisters give us a warm welcome. I am impressed by the sofa and armchairs, which seem huge by our standards, but I have seen them in other Arabic countries too. There is plenty of room for family and friends. We sit on the terrace for our meal and are allowed to enjoy the unbelievable hospitality.
Rouhaifa's Story will be published here soon
All these mother's stories come from SOS Children's Village Hermann Gmeiner Academy. Copyright is reserved and no unauthorized use permitted. Use for non-commercial purposes may be requested. The interviews telling about the lives of some SOS Mothers form part of an interesting study on being a replacement Mother to children in need in SOS Children's communities worldwide.