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...
Darkness and Tyranny in Kafr Nabl
In March 2011, a few days after demonstrations began in Daraa governorate, my own city of Kafr Nabl started witnessing its own protests calling...
Lessons of Tragedy
I had become used to the bouquets of flowers Hasan honoured me with every time he attended my classes. Hasan, that well-mannered, cheerful boy....
The Crossing of Death
It was July 10, 2013 and I stood at the Bustan al-Qasar crossing: the crossing of death, as I called it. A siege 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...
A Personal Grievance Against the Regime
I announced my support for the revolution from the first day it started. Back then, a lot of people were still confused and in...
Between Islamic State and the Regime
It was three o’clock in the morning on April 29, 2015. This would be my penultimate trip to regime-controlled Aleppo before I left Syria...
The Flames of the Revolution
I feel ashamed when I look back on my past indifference towards the Syrian regime. I was 55 years old when the revolution erupted....
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...
Waiting for Our Reunion
My city of Kafr Nabl was liberated on August 10, 2012, but at a heavy cost. More than 125 people were killed and the...
A Difficult Birth
My name is Farah. I am a 25 year-old wife and mother-of-two. I used to live in the capital Damascus before the outbreak of...
Stranded in Aleppo
When my mother’s phone rang, my instincts told me it could be the first step towards a new life for me. I had worked...
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...
The Bitter Taste of Victory
The battle to liberate my city of Kafr Nubbal began on August 6, 2012, the day after I began my studies at Idlib University’s...
Even in Syria Dreams Can Come True
My sister Maha, the youngest in the family, is an English language teacher. Past the age of 30 she started losing hope in getting...
At the Mercy of the Bullets
It was two in the morning and our neighbourhood was deep asleep. Suddenly, the calm was replaced by a terrible clamour. Bright lights lit...
