After eight years as a refugee in Jordan, the tough times continue. Last summer, Atullah lost partial sight in one eye in an accident with a German road clearing crew. This is no future for a talented young man. We can give him a second chance

Name: Atullah Al-Labban
Age: 23 (born November 1997)
Place of birth: Daraa, Syria
Current location: Irbid, Jordan
Advantages: Sponsorship by an SAH, full funding
Needed: THREE MORE MEMBERS FOR THE SPONSOR TEAM

A Promising Start

Life has not been easy for Atullah . Born and raised in Daraa, Syria, he was only 11 years old when he lost his beloved mother. In 2011, when he was just 13, the civil war began.

Still, as the country unravelled, Atullah focused on his studies and tried his best to make his father proud. He studied hard, finishing grade eight and then grade nine, graduating with high marks. School was his respite from the dangers that surrounded him.

Soon the schools in his town closed in protest of the ruling regime. The army went from house to house, looking for resisters. When the daily raids by the government militias turned to aerial bombings, Atullah and his family – his father, step-mother and young step-siblings – tried to flee.

They were trapped, for a time, stuck in their home, hoping the next bomb would not fall on them. Next they moved into a shelter in a nearby town. If anything, this was worse. Says Atullah,

“The place was full of people screaming young children and women to keep themselves away from death. No one knew what would happen in the next day, or the next moment.”

Saying Goodbye

The army cut off water and electricity supplies to the shelter – and to the entire village. It was too much. In the summer 2012, they said goodbye to their beloved country, making the long trek to the southern border with hundreds of other families.

On August 27, they crossed the border into Jordan. The border officials sent the family to Zaatari camp, the notorious refugee camp. Knowing they could not stay in this enormous tent city, the family kept moving.

Arriving in the town of Irbid, Jordan, they did their best to survive. Syrians are not allowed into regualr schools in Jordan, so Atullah obtained a certificate course from the Ministry of Labour. He worked to repair cell phones, surviving on a salary that was a fraction of that earned by the local citizens.

Tragedy

As the eldest boy in the family, Atullah felt he should do better. He found work with a Germany company was contracted to clear the roads in the area. The money was decent, and he worked for the company for about a year. When the company shifted operations to another province, he took on odd jobs like olive harvesting.

In 2019, the company returned to his area and he resumed his old job of clearing the roads. In April of 2019, tragedy struck. A splinter of rock unearthed by a road-clearing machine flew into the air and pierced his retina.

A fundraising campaign based in Canada was launched to operate on his eye. Two operations later, his sight is still not fully recovered.

A Better Future

This is no way for a young man like Atullah to live. Once a star student, he maintains the same habits of dedication and hard work that he developed in school.

Speaking as someone who is in contact with many refugees, I can state that Atullah is one of the most good-natured, compassionate and motivated people. I know. He would do so well a caring country like Canada, which has more opportunity for good pepole like him. He just needs a chance.

You can help make this dream a reality.

GREAT NEWS: We have had the amazing good fortune of finding full funding and an SAH spot to bring Atullah to Canada. All we need is people to join the settlement team. If you're interested in helping bring him to Canada – please contact his Canadian friends Stephen Watt or Robin Stevenson. And because there's an SAH involved, you don't even need a police check!

You can also reach out to Atullah directly on Facebook.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good person to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!