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Palestinian hopes to return By BILL CHOY Ashland Daily Tidings A group of concerned citizens are doing what they can to bring a pregnant Palestinian woman living in the West Bank to Ashland so she can provide a better future for her family - compared to the one her war-torn homeland can offer. Fayka Ramadan, a registered nurse in her mid-30s and mother of three young boys, lived in Ashland and Talent for nine months more than two years ago. Friends hope to have the family in Ashland in about two weeks - before Fayka gives birth to her fourth child sometime next month. Members of the Muslim community, friends of Fayka, and residents are raising funds to buy airline tickets for her and her three young sons. She has already received her visa, secured low-income housing in Ashland and has a green card waiting for her when she arrives, said friend Sharon Cummings of Ashland, a member of the local Muslim community. All three of Fayka's sons are U.S. citizens. Her husband will stay in the West Bank and continue to run the family's flower shop and eventually join his family in Ashland, she said. Fayka wants a better life for her family and desires to escape the uncertainty and violence that is an almost daily occurrence in the West Bank, which has been rocked by violence between the Palestinians and Israelis for years, her friends here said. "You're taking a chance every time you step out of your home," Cummings said . "When she takes her boys to school she doesn't know if there'll be a suicide bombing on the way . ... It's really important for her and her children to get out of that situation." Fayka was a pediatric nurse in her homeland and hopes to continue being a nurse in America, Cummings said. Mori Garloff of Ashland, a friend of Fayka's, said community members have so far raised more than $350 for the plane tickets, which will cost about $1,800. "We want to get her and her family out as soon as we can," Garloff said. "We all know how horrible it is there right now." Fayka's Rogue Valley connection took shape five years ago, when a group of community members visited Jerusalem and she became friends with a Rogue River woman, Cummings said. Wanting to escape the troubles of her homeland and pregnant with her third child, Fayka took her friend's offer and came to the Rogue Valley with her two children more than two years ago. With assistance from the Muslim community in the area, she found a place to live in Ashland and then Talent. During her time here, she gave birth to her son Shums, who is now 2 years old. Her other children are Salem, 10, and Sultan, 7. Due to a personal family issue back home and problems with her green card, Fayka and her children had to go back to the West Bank, Cummings said. While Garloff spoke to Fayka about a week ago and Cummings a month ago, it's been a challenge for her to find a phone to use. "It's been getting more difficult to get to a phone because of the civil unrest," Cummings said. " They're tightening the communications leaving the country." Cummings said she became fast friends with Fayka when she met her. "She's just a very giving person," she said. "If you give something back to her, she'll give you back three times more." Garloff concurred. "She's a very witty, educated, strong woman," Garloff said about her friend. "I made a connection with her." Garloff is hopeful the community will help Fayka in her pursuit of coming to America. "There's so much suffering in this world," she said. "And if we have one chance to give a person an opportunity for a better life we should help" A fund has been established for Fayka and her family at Rogue Valley Federal Credit Union, Garloff said. Donations can be made to the Fayka Ramadan Family Fund at any Rogue Federal Credit Union. In Ashland, the credit union is located at 415 Lithia Way. For more information, call Mori Garloff at 482-8288. In the event donations exceed the cost of air fare, the surplus will go to the security deposit for Fayka's housing. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -