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Since January 2016, Hasna is one of the 700 regular cash beneficiaries of GRC and JRCS in Irbid. Every month, she receives 80 JD to cover her basic needs. As she is old and cannot use the new technology iris scan, she has been provided with an ATM card and a pin code in order to withdraw the money at the bank machine. As she is quite old and doesn’t know how to use the machine, one of the bank staff assists her every month with the card and the pin code.
A blocked card, what to do now?
In October, the pin code on the paper was not readable anymore and Hasna and the bank employee couldn’t remember it. By entering the wrong pin code, the ATM card was blocked, Hasna couldn’t take the money and was very upset. She called the GRC/JRCS hotline in Amman to get help. The GRC/JRCS team ordered a new pin code and brought it to Irbid – and together with the Cash Officer of JRCS she withdrew the cash assistance. Hasna was so relieved that she cried and hugged the JRCS colleague who was very happy as well. In the next week, a JRCS volunteer and social worker visited Hasna in her home to learn more about her situation.
Alone in Jordan
Hasna is a 75 year old refugee from Syria who has been living in Jordan for four years. She has one son and two daughters. Her son has emigrated to Germany, one daughter lives in Jordan and the other daughter is still in Syria, in Daraa. Hasna is alone in Jordan, but luckily another Syrian family (distant relatives) took her into their home and they live together.
Winterization assistance
After their house in Syria was destroyed by bombs, she didn’t find any safe place in Syria and for one week she had to stay outside – only covered with a carton from the rain and the cold. Finally, she managed to enter Jordan and she received some small assistance from friendly people in order to survive. She registered with UNHCR but only received the monthly WFP vouchers (10 JD) in order to buy some food. She was very relieved when GRC/JRCS accepted her into their regular cash program. She uses the money to buy food and medicine – and if she has some savings, she sends the money to her daughter in Syria who doesn’t receive any assistance. In the winter, she will receive additional money for winterization – she is very happy about this and she wants to buy a heater and a gas bottle because she doesn’t have these items in her home. And in Jordan, it can get very cold in winter.
Worries and dreams
The apartment in which she lives with the other family is in a house for which a private donor from Saudi Arabia pays the rent – so luckily, she doesn’t need to pay any rent currently. However, apparently the donor will stop paying the rent next year and she is very worried about the future and how she will manage to pay the rent with the little assistance. She hopes that she will continue receiving the cash assistance from GRC/JRCS also next year.
Hasma dreams about going back to Syria and she would like to see Syria like it was before the war.
With financial support of the German Foreign Office the German Red Cross supports people in need in Jordan for example in the form of cash assistance, health education or first aid practice. This assistance will particularly benefit Syrian refugees as well as the Jordanian host communities.
Pictures: GRC
DRK-Team 
