I’m going to tell you my story… a story that, between its lines, holds more pain and trauma than any human can imagine, but one that ended with a ray of hope—praise be to God.  I’m a girl whose father passed away when I was seven years old. After his death, I lived with my mother for two years; she was—and still is—truly a loving mother. But two years after my father’s death, she remarried and was forced to leave me at her parents’ house, so I had to live far from her embrace and tenderness—at a time when I needed them most.  That’s where the first chapter of pain in my life began. I endured the harshest forms of cruelty and learned the meaning of injustice from childhood, while I was still too young to realize what fate had in store for me.  My aunt—my mother’s sister—treated me with extreme harshness, and I couldn’t understand why. The greatest shock came when I heard her say she wanted to kick me out of the house and get rid of me. She eventually got her way, and my mother was forced to take me with her to her husband’s house in a rural area.  I asked my mother why my aunt had said those things, and she confirmed that my aunt didn’t want me to live with them, nor did she want to take responsibility for me. Her words were a shock from which my heart has never fully recovered. That night, I couldn’t sleep a wink because I was crying so hard and was so confused, and I kept asking myself: How can compassion be stripped from people’s hearts? What fault of mine was it other than losing my father? Was there no one left in this world to protect me or take me in?  After that, I tried to start a new life and enrolled in school, but my suffering did not end. I kept hearing hurtful words from people who would say: “This is the girl her aunt abandoned, who lives with her stepfather.” Those words were too much for a child my age to bear.  One day, one of my relatives heard about the Al-Rahma Foundation and suggested to my mother that I join it. When the matter was brought up with my dear mother, “Mama Ruqaya,” she welcomed me with all her love.  I can’t describe how happy I was that day. I moved to Sana’a and entered Dar al-Rahma, and the very first moment I set foot in the facility is still etched in my memory. When I saw Mama Ruqaya for the first time, I felt hope smiling at me once again, as if she were saying with her eyes: “Here you will forget everything that has passed, and you will begin a new life filled with love and tenderness.” My sense of security grew when I saw the smiles of the girls around me, each one whispering to the other, “This is the new orphan.” At that moment, I put my trust in God and began a new chapter of my life.  On the first night, I couldn’t sleep because I was crying so hard, grieving what I had lost, but after that night—and for the first time in my life—I felt that I wasn’t alone. One of the sisters in the room sat beside me, comforting me with her kind words, and those words still linger in my heart to this day.  I then spent the most beautiful years of my life at my beloved institution, Al-Rahma. There, I learned how to love others and how to interact with them; I learned the meanings of sisterhood and cooperation, as well as the importance of hygiene. I also learned to cook, embroider, and drive. God blessed me with the completion of the Holy Quran, and I acquired many skills that had a profound impact on shaping my character.  The credit, after Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, goes to my beloved mother, “Mama Ruqayyah,” who was the source of my happiness; she restored my self-confidence, helped me forget the harshness of the past and the gossip of others, and led me from the darkness of pain to the light of hope. In just a few years, she built within me a character that some families might fail to build over a lifetime.  After I finished high school, a young man proposed to me. When Mama Ruqayyah told me about him, I felt just like any girl would when a suitor proposes to her. My engagement took place on the 27th of Ramadan, and my wedding was set for the 5th of Dhu al-Hijjah.  On my wedding day, my dear mother, Mama Ruqayyah, sat with me and shared the essence of her experience in married life; she offered me advice and guidance that I still live by to this day, and which I draw upon whenever I face life’s challenges.  Today, twelve years into my marriage, I thank God for blessing me with a righteous husband—he has been and continues to be a wonderful husband, a wonderful father, a wonderful brother, and a pillar of support. Ten months later, God blessed me with my first son, “Fadl,” and my joy at his arrival was indescribable. Then I had the honor of nursing the baby “Abdulmalik,” who became my son’s foster brother, and I loved him as one of my own children—even more so. After that, God blessed me with my second son, “Waleed,” and eight years later, He graced me with my beautiful daughter, “Sidra.”  I also had the honor of working at the organization that shaped my future. I went to the Ibb Governorate to participate in the opening of the “Dar al-Wafa” branch, where I served as branch manager, public relations officer, and supervisor. I lived there with my husband until the branch was up and running, and then we returned to Sana’a, where I worked as the daycare manager at the main center.  After that, I moved to work at a school, where I have been working as a teacher and supervisor for the past seven years. Praise be to God, I have achieved success in both my family and professional life, and I have completed a number of courses, including: an English language course at the American Institute, a computer course, a human development course, the “Read and Learn” course, and the Al-Nouraniyah course.  I have also received several awards, including “Best Teacher of 2017” and “Best Supervisor of 2018.” I helped organize the school’s closing ceremony and was named “Best Choral Director.”  Everything I have achieved today, by the grace of God Almighty, is the result of what my mother instilled in me—my dearest Mama Ruqayyah—and the foundation that embraced me when I was in dire need of a helping hand. It helped me put behind me a past in which my only “fault” was being an orphan, and it gave me the opportunity to stand with confidence, compete, succeed, and prove that being an orphan does not prevent a person from shaping their future if they find someone to embrace and believe in them.  Nor will I ever forget my sisters at the home, who shared my sorrows and joys and were my greatest support on my life’s journey. Among them, I found a great blessing that money cannot buy: the blessing of true sisterhood.  And the greatest blessing God has bestowed upon me—after His grace, may He be glorified—will always be the presence of our mother and the virtuous caregiver, Mama Ruqayyah, who rekindled the spirit of hope in me and in so many others, and restored the meaning of life to us. I ask God to protect her, to grant her continued health and well-being, and to bless the Al-Rahma Foundation, which has been and continues to be our extended home, our safe haven, and a source of pride and honor for as long as we live