Saying Goodbye to Marwa
My sister Marwa used to live in a beautiful house in the city of Aleppo with her policeman husband and their children. They had...
A Day of Rage
One morning in April 2013, we woke up to find residents of our refugee camp up in arms over the death of a child...
Saving Syria’s Cultural Heritage
Activists in Idlib have established a centre to protect cultural heritage amidst a conflict which has seen the widespread destruction of many of Syria’s...
No Schools, No Textbooks and No Teachers
Every day, early in the morning, Um Juwan walks her teacher son to the bus that carries staff to one of the schools in...
Saidnaya Prison: the “Red Dragon”
When my 41-year-old husband was arrested, my home became somehow darker. Not a single lamp was broken, but our hearts were shattered into pieces....
Faten’s Story
“My father and mother married 20 years ago. My mother was then aged 35 and considered old, so she agreed to marry my father...
Idlib’s Next Generation of Farmers
Abu Wael is filled with happiness every time he takes his son Mohammed to the family’s olive grove and watches him tend to the...
A Night of Fear
In a war in which we have been trying to win for so long, we often feel that we are prisoners in our own...
He Refused to Say “Bashar”
It was Sunday, July 31, 2011, and we were preparing to welcome the month of Ramadan. My son Radwan had high hopes that the...
Bringing Water Back to Kafr Nabl
Locals in Kafr Nabel have high hopes of a revived water pumping scheme which aims to solve ongoing shortages in many liberated areas. A...
Aid, Healthcare and Hope
Hundreds of people in Idlib and Aleppo provinces are accessing medical treatment and training thanks to the efforts of the Syria for Relief and...
Exorcising Demons in Idlib
In August 2015, a few days after her engagement party, Amal (not her real name) was enjoying tea with her sisters when she complained...
A Birth That Felt Like Death
When I woke up on that morning in August 2015, all I could think about was returning home. We had fled our village because...
Anemone Organisation: Helping Hope Bloom
Um Amjad left the headquarters of Idlib’s Anemone organisation with a smile on her face. The 36-year-old widow from Maarrat al-Nu’man said the monthly...
Soaring Bread Prices Add to Idlib’s Woes
Fuel shortages, a poor harvest and falling subsidies have led to a serious bread shortage in opposition-controlled areas of the Idlib countryside. In some...
Honouring Idlib’s Orphans
More than 100 children from needy families in the Idlib countryside were hosted at an event to mark Islamic World Orphans Day. Organised by...
