“I was twenty when the civil war came to Somalia. It started as...

“I was twenty when the civil war came to Somalia. It started as a normal day for me. I woke up that morning thinking about applying to university. Suddenly I heard big sounds like cannon in the distance. Then came the sounds of gunfire. The fighting spread so fast. By that afternoon I saw two dead bodies in the street. I had never seen a dead person in my life. My neighborhood became a battleground, but we couldn’t leave because there was no transportation. There was no water or electricity. The ATM’s wouldn’t work. Mortars began to fall near our house so we took shelter in a nearby school. I remember that first night, sleeping on the floor of the school, listening to the BBC Somali service on a handheld radio. I had no idea what was happening. In just a few hours my life had gone from thinking about college to only thinking about surviving.” (½)

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I’m ending the Rohingya series by sharing the story of Sa'id, who is helping oversee the construction project we are helping to fund. (We’ve raised over $1.5 million so far, which is enough to build over 2,500 houses.) Sai’d works with the American Refugee Commitee, who is partnering with Love Army to provide logistical and organizational support. As is evident from his story, this work is very personal to Sa’id because he is a refugee himself. Today is the final day of our fundraiser. We’re almost up to 30,000 donors. If we reach $1.8 million, that will be 3000 houses. *Those houses can hold 15,000 people.* Every little bit matters, so please consider donating: http://bit.ly/2H0w5lm