My name is A.J. I lived in an area that was overtaken my gangs. I lived there with my husband and our three children—our son is 21, and our daughters are 16 and 14. To support our family, I sold cold water in the market, and my husband made and sold jewelry. Together, we were able to meet all our needs.

Everything changed when armed groups entered our area. For our safety, we had to leave and ended up in Cazale, a place we had never been before. At first, we stayed in a refugee center. It was a difficult time—we didn’t feel settled or comfortable, and we often felt ashamed of our situation. We didn’t even feel we could say where we lived, because we had no home of our own.

That changed when RHFH stepped in to help. They found a house for us to rent, giving us a sense of dignity, privacy, and peace again. They also helped us start a small business so we could support our family and cover our daily needs.

I’m truly thankful for the support we received. It came at a time when we needed it most. I will always be grateful to those who chose to stand with us. Thank you.