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18 Years of caring for Abandoned Children and Orphans

July 20, 2007

Mama Zakia has been an SOS Children’s Village Mother in Amman, Jordan for 18 years.  She is one of the longest serving SOS mothers at the SOS Children’s Village in the capital city Amman, which opened its doors in 1987.  Since then, Mama Zakia has raised 20 orphan children, most of who have successful lives, found a mother in Mama Zakia, and a family inside her home.  Now, after 18 years and 20 village children, Mama Zakia is having a hard time saying goodbye to SOS Children’s Villages.

Mama Zakia has 18 years filled with memories from the children’s village.  The children, the home she made, and the family she was given and built, are forever engraved in her memory.  Before joining the village in 1989, Mama Zakia was a teacher in Abu Dhabi, UAE for 17 years.  She was married, and although she had a deep passion for children, she was unable to have any of her own.  Zakia decided to become a teacher to fill this void in her life.  “I did not complain about my life. I decided to make up for not having children of my own by working with children as a teacher,” says Mama Zakia.

Mama Zakia’s life took a sudden turn when her husband died in the UAE.  Afterwards, she left her job, and moved back in with her family in Amman.  Even with the comfort and support of her mother and brothers, she still felt as if something was missing from her life: motherhood.

In the mid 1980’s, Mama Zakia saw an ad for SOS Children’s Villages mothers, applied, and was accepted as a trainee.  However, she had to face her conservative, disapproving family before moving forward with her life.  “My family were all against the idea. My brothers told me they didn’t mind my living with them, and all my needs were being met,” she recalls. “Besides, they all wanted me to remarry. My whole family was putting pressure on me to marry again, but I refused. I told them I had a different need they couldn’t see or understand - the need to be a mother.”

Mama Zakia decided to defy her family’s wishes and become one of the first SOS mothers in Amman.  To Mama Zakia, caring for children who were once homeless orphans now in search of a family would finally allow her to be a mother and fill that empty space in her heart.  She recalls her life being much richer spent in the SOS Children’s Village than ever before.  “It was a joy,” she says, “to see the children return from school, to hear them tell me about their day at school, their small problems, and to help them with their homework.”

Out of the 20 children Mama Zakia has raised, 12 are now independent adults and eight are still living in the village.  Her family visits often now, and her children consider them as grandparents and uncles.  Another mother has been living in her house to become acquainted with the children for a smoother turnover process.  Mama zakia feels as if a physical part of her is being torn away. “It hurts,” she says, “very much.”

As of right now, Mama Zakia is living in an apartment with her first two children, Saada and Zeina, who are now both 23 years old, and still visits her children often.

Topics: Orphans, Middle East, Child Abandonment |