Back in June, my husband Ahmed was trying to get in touch with his friend Muhammad, but every time he placed a call, he received the message, “The number you are trying to reach is unavailable.”
After two days of trying to connect with no success, Ahmed called Muhammad’s wife. He was shocked and deeply saddened to be told that Muhammad had been shot and killed by the Israeli military.
The blow was severe for Ahmed; Muhammad was like a brother to him.
Muhammad had three daughters, ages 4, 7 and 10, and also ran a small shoe-repair business. Ahmed was surprised when Muhammad’s wife offered him the shoe repair machine. Before the genocide, Ahmed worked as a math teacher and had never repaired shoes in his life.
But Ahmed learned how to operate the machine, relying on online videos and trial and error, facing difficulties and setbacks until he was finally able to fix shoes on his own. …more
