Case studies: former SOS child Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories

After having lost his mother as a baby, Majdi, whose future seemed dark and frightening, found refuge and a new family at the SOS Children's Village Bethlehem. He wrote down his story and his memories in a poetic way.

Who I am

I write words in my notebook to record the tragic and beautiful events of my past. I was born, in humble and simple surroundings, amid beautiful nature and peace. I existed like this until my new destiny, hidden behind a dark screen, appeared before me, and changed my life completely. The hands that had raised me disappeared from my world, taking with them the safe breeze that I knew, the warm embrace, and the kind heart.

All that remained for me was the memory of a warm heart, a kind but voiceless face, and an unknown future.

My lifesaver came, a sailboat that pulled me aboard. She protected me from the sharks of time, the tidal waves, and carried me to safe shores, to a port of kindness, safety and compassion. I continued my life on an island, green and peaceful, with my brother and sister, and found new siblings with similar histories.

Here, we met, connected, melded into one family. We grew up together and became one flame in our island's sky.

Childhood memories

My name is Majdi, though my friends call me Columbus. I was born in the town of Dora, outside Hebron in southern Palestine, in 1981. My mother died two years after my birth, and after that my life changed completely when I went to live at SOS Children's Village in Bethlehem, together with my brother and sister. I grew up in the village, and studied in local schools until I reached the age of fourteen, when I moved to the SOS Youth House. In the Youth Houses, SOS youth learn to make their own decisions, to be independent, to cooperate as a group.

I completed my high school studies in the scientific track and from there went to study at Birzeit University (located about 7 km north of Ramallah in the West Bank), where I specialised in Civil Engineering. I went to live in the SOS semi-independent youth housing near the university for five years. Although my siblings and I separated, the island of SOS Children's Village Bethlehem remained our home and our fondest memory, a part of our soul. It will be so for our sons, and the sons of our sons.

Our breath rustled the village's grass, we smelled the fresh scent of lemon trees, its name became our home, the most beautiful word.

Without exaggeration, her roots became our roots: One family, one mother, brothers and sisters.

I completed my studies and graduated in 2005. After graduation, I worked for one year for a local contracting construction company in Palestine, and became integrated in the atmosphere of work. Unfortunately, because of my poor living circumstances and low salary, I interviewed with an international contracting company and began contracting work with them in Qatar. Today, I work on the company's largest international gas project, and I thank the 'SOS family' and administration for their support.

Without SOS Children's Villages, I would not have realised my ambitions and achieved all that I have.

SOS Children has been working in the Palestinian Territories since 1968 when the village at Bethlehem was opened. Since 1999 another village in the south west at Rafah has been caring for children. Dealing with poverty and violence daily, a mobile therapy unit is part of the SOS Family Strengthening Programme, which looks after the most vulnerable in the community.

To support children in the Palestinian Territories you can sponsor a child.