"Come in quickly, I tried a new recipe today and added some thyme to the baked bread!" Safaa Albosh greets visitors warmly at the kitchen door.
Following the opening of the central kitchen at Tzu Xin House in March 2022, forty-year-old Safaa has frequently showcased her culinary talents. Radiating warmth, she always has cooking tips to share. However, her cheerful demeanor belies a journey marked by profound loss and resilience. In 2016, Safaa and her three children moved into Tzu Xin House. At the time, her eldest daughter, Yasmin Abduljalel, was thirteen, and her youngest son, Eyad Abduljalel, was only five. The family originally lived near Damascus, Syria, where they cultivated an apricot orchard. They lived a self-sufficient, peaceful life, producing jams and dried apricots.
Fleeing the conflict
When the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, many believed the capital would remain safe. By 2012, as airstrikes became indiscriminate, the reality of the conflict reached their doorstep. The family hid in an underground bunker for six months, surviving on stored grains. The breaking point came when her six-year-old son, Ghayath Abduljalel, severely hungry, ingested raw fava beans. Born with a congenital metabolic condition, he suffered acute hemolysis, spiking a high fever and falling into a coma.
With local blood banks depleted, Safaa took her three children and fled across the border to Jordan to seek emergency medical treatment for Ghayath. Her husband stayed behind to sell their land, planning to join them later. Tragically, six months later, an artillery shell landed on their property, leaving him with shattered legs and paralyzed from the waist down. Due to strict cross-border regulations, the family was unable to reunite in Jordan.
Finding a safe haven
In Jordan, Safaa and her children lived with her parents in a rented room. She supported her family by cleaning, cooking, and washing dishes in restaurants. In 2016, when her brother married and needed the living space, Safaa faced an imminent housing crisis. Neighbors informed her about Tzu Xin House, a shelter supported and run by Tzu Chi for Syrian single-parent families. After contacting the facility's manager, Mohammad Khair Roz, the family finally found a stable place to call home. Tzu Chi also assisted the family in ensuring the children could continue their education.
The stability allowed the children to thrive. In 2022, Yasmin passed her university entrance exams and enrolled in a nursing vocational course. Ghayath focused on his studies while learning carpentry at a community center, acquiring practical skills for the future. Eyad, who had no memory of his father, received corrective surgery for strabismus. Known for his optimistic nature, Eyad practices taekwondo, attends school, and helps pack school supplies during summer distributions.
Healing through giving
Safaa’s passion for cooking naturally led her to prepare meals alongside other mothers at Tzu Xin House. Witnessing others enjoy the meals she carefully prepares brings her immense satisfaction. Through participating in charitable distributions, she observed the struggles of local residents in Jordan.
I used to feel I was the most miserable person in the world, fleeing to another country, raising children alone, with my husband paralyzed and far away. But when I saw those Bedouin families living in tents, with children walking without shoes among goats and chickens, I was so grateful that Tzu Chi provided us with a warm, safe house. My children can go to school clean, and our medical expenses are covered when they fall ill. I felt ashamed of my past complaints and realized I should lead my children in helping those in greater need. — Safaa Albosh, Resident and Volunteer
Driven by this realization, Safaa began cooking hot meals for families in Amman. She actively traveled to the sweltering Ghor Al Safi region to deliver wheelchairs, distributed food in the dusty winds of Mafraq, and endured four-hour drives to southern Jordan to provide school backpacks. Her genuine smile and respectful demeanor while serving others reflect a healing process that helped her find peace amid uncertainty.
A family reunited
In December 2024, the Syrian civil war came to an end. The conflict resulted in millions of displaced individuals. While repatriation became an option, severe economic struggles and inflation in Syria led many to remain in Jordan, where their children had already integrated into society.
In the same month, a relative living in Australia helped Safaa's husband apply for humanitarian medical immigration. By January 2025, Safaa and her children traveled to Australia to finally reunite with him. Over thirteen years of separation, the family endured numerous hardships. Carrying the resilience, gratitude, and compassion she cultivated during her time in Jordan, Safaa has bravely set roots in a new country, ready to build a future where her family is together and no longer displaced by conflict.
Written by Lamiya Lin (林綠卿)
