Najwa Jadalrab Family

Najwa Jadalrab, a counselor and designated trainer at Systems Unlimited, moved her family into the Youth United Build in Spring 2011. According to Najwa, their new Habitat home couldn’t have come at a better time for herself and her children.

“It was a relieving time for us, very comforting,” Najwa said when reflecting on being approved for a Habitat home. “The kids were so excited, and it came for me at the right time because I had just lost their dad.”

Najwa emigrated from Sudan to the United States in September 1998 with her late-husband, Najmaddin, and two children. At first, the family had plans to move to Colorado so Najmaddin could study to take the bar exam, but a friend on the East coast described Iowa City as the “best place to raise kids.” That December, the family moved to Iowa City and began their new life in America.

Najwa's first impression of the Iowa City was that it was framed with compassion. Najwa and her daughter took the Coralville Transit to look for jobs, and being unfamiliar with a bus system, didn’t pay attention to what bus she was on. After the bus had completed its entire route, the bus driver approached her and questioned where she was going. Najwa said she teared up, knowing she had been lost. The bus driver graciously helped her transfer buses and get back to their home in Coralville. It was evident that this experience helped to shape her image of Iowa City.

Aside from Najwa’s current job at Systems Unlimited, she has worked food service at the Iowa Memorial Union, served as a child advocate for a local daycare, and held a contract research position in the University of Iowa Microbiology lab. Unable to find stable work related to her undergraduate degree in Zoology and her Master’s degree in microbiology, she most recently has pursued a Surgical Technologist education at Kirkwood Community College.

Since the death of her husband, Najwa placed her concentration on raising her two children. Najwa’s daughter is involved in Student Senate, Youth Congress, and is a volunteer at the Iowa City Public Library. Her son, a full-time employee at Best Buy, is a full-time student at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.

Najwa said she is excited that her children finally have the personal space and privacy they deserve. The larger space will help them stay together as a family.

“My daughter said, ‘Oh mom, I’m going to invite my friends over now,’ Najwa said smiling. “And my son is excited to use the large backyard to exercise. We’re so grateful for Habitat. [It’s] put a smile back on my kids' faces.”

The Youth United Build was constructed for Najwa and her two children by youth ages 5 to 25 years of age.