Single Syrian mother supports her family of 6 alone and works hard to rebuild their lives
Single Syrian mother supports her family of 6 alone and works hard to rebuild their lives
Syria is currently experiencing one of the worst socio-economic downturns since the start of the crisis. In the past year alone, the Syrian pound has lost three quarters of its value while the cost of food and other essential items has rocketed by more than 200 per cent. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has made an already dire situation worse.
The combined effect has been a dramatic reduction in purchasing power and rising levels of debt, leaving millions incapable of putting food on the table and meeting their basic needs. Today, over 13 million Syrians require humanitarian and protection assistance and almost 90 per cent of the population lives in poverty.
Yet despite the mammoth challenges, Syrians continue to find remarkable ways to persevere and try to rebuild their lives. Thousands of formerly displaced people are choosing to return to their towns and villages, often despite widespread destruction to homes, local schools, hospitals and other infrastructure.
“I faced many challenges trying to return home.”
Originally from Dayr Hafir, a city 50 kilometres east of Aleppo, 30-year-old mother-of-five Abeer and her family were displaced multiple times. Whilst in displacement, Abeer’s husband was killed on his way to buy food from a local market. A year later, following an improvement in the security situation in her city, Abeer chose to return.
“I faced many challenges trying to return home,” Abeer said. “I couldn’t afford to pay for anyone to bring us home, so we walked from dusk till dawn, bare foot and with no water. I lost my kids in the dead of night, but I was able to find them again.”
They arrived back to find their home damaged and looted. With no job or savings, Abeer had to start from scratch. For months they slept on the bare floor of the barren building, eating only the purslane she managed to grow in patches of land near their home. Abeer was forced to leave her young children alone each day while she went out in search of work.
“When we first got back, I faced some really difficult circumstances,” Abeer explained. “We went through periods where we didn’t even have cooking oil, or anything. I started working on the land and had to leave my kids home alone. I couldn’t afford to buy anything if I didn’t leave my kids alone to go and work.”
With an estimated 12.4 million Syrians currently food insecure, many families are forced to resort to harmful coping strategies including taking children out of school for work or forced marriages. Last year an estimated 2.5 million children in Syria were out of school, with a further 1.6 million at risk of dropping out.
With mounting debts, Abeer’s fortunes finally changed after she heard about a community centre in her area supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, offering small business grants.
After successfully applying for the grant, Abeer was able to open her own mini market and now supports herself and her children with the income she generates.
“’The day I received [the grant], my brain couldn’t comprehend it. I thought I was in a dream,” Abeer said. “My life has gone from zero to a hundred. The most important thing is that I don’t need to leave my kids alone anymore.”
“I pray that my kids will have a beautiful life – better than mine.”
Abeer is also receiving support from a psychologist at the community centre to help cope with the loss of her husband and the many challenges she continues to face. Across Syria, years of displacement, exposure to violence, loss of loved ones, lack of jobs and deepening poverty continue to have a severe impact on people’s mental health.
Throughout the past ten years, UNHCR staff have been on the ground in Syria delivering critical assistance to families who have lost everything, including basic items like mattresses and blankets, provision of shelter kits and essential home repairs, psychosocial support and other protection services, and health care and education interventions such as equipment purchases and school rehabilitation.
“I pray that my kids will have a beautiful life – better than mine,” Abeer said. “I want my kids to grow up and be successful, so they won’t need to rely on anyone. I don’t want them to be humiliated the way I have been.”
While Syrian families like Abeer’s continue to show incredible resilience after a decade of struggle, the past year has pushed many to breaking point. Continued support from the international and humanitarian community is needed to help Syrians cope with worsening socio-economic conditions.
