An Unfriendly Welcome
When my husband returned from more than two weeks of military service in the Afrin countryside, he was exhausted. He didn’t even notice me...
His Greed Led to His Death
My cousin Ayman used to smuggle guns and ammunition. After the revolution began, he used to buy arms from the regime’s supporters and sell...
Travelling to Turkey
After suffering through conflict, fear, homelessness and displacement, we finally decided to leave Syria and seek refuge in Turkey. I had always tried to...
My Poor Uncle
It was the morning of December 8, 2012. As I did every day, I prepared breakfast before tackling the other household chores with my...
I Hit My Daughter
It was December 23, 2015, in the middle of a harsh, cold winter. Behind the walls of my parents’ house, my children and I...
Stealing My Daughter’s Earrings
After the war forced us to leave our home in Kalaat al-Madiq, we found refuge in a village in the southern countryside of Idlib....
Should I Marry my Husband’s Brother?
One evening, six months after the death of my husband Ahmed, I sat with my mother and sisters in my parents’ house and talked...
Fighting Over An Unexploded Missile
On January 12, 2017, the town of Dar al-Kabira near Kafr Nabel was targeted in a regime airstrike. Abu Mohammed, a resident of the...
Sleeping with Fear, Waking with Fear
We fled to the town of Maar Tahroma after the army took control of our village. A few days later, my elder sister Mary...
No to Losing a Generation
Young people in rural Idlib have been given new hope by a scheme that aims to help them complete their high school studies. The...
Ghufran’s Story: From Teacher to Wanted Woman
I was delighted when I got my high school diploma in 1999. Whenever I sat with my classmates, I would talk about my dream...
Ramadan Kitchens and Meals for IDPs in Idlib
With the start of the holy month of Ramadan, charities have opened their doors to prepare iftar meals for the poor and needy as...
The Last Coffee
On Wednesday, March 21, 2012, we decided to flee our town. After the inhuman regime bombing of Sahel al-Ghab in southern Hama countryside, we...
When the Army Stole my Father’s Car
I remember the day the army arrived in our village of Maar Tahroma as if it was yesterday, although it was six long years...
The Alternative Kindergarten
A resident of Hass has turned his own garden into a makeshift kindergarten for children, nearly a year after the neighbourhood school was destroyed...
No Happy Endings
When I moved into my new home, my neighbour Hamsa, 26, came to visit. She told me the story of her life and I...
