Success Stories
Sarah’s story
Having lost her husband from an airstrike, Sarah knows the meaning of loss.
After her husband’s passing, Sarah decided to take her children and leave for their safety. Her children were able to return to school, but soon after, their school was targetted by another airstrike. Sarah son luckily only suffered minor wounds. Sarah and her kids have been displaced five times now in Syria and have finally settled.
Sarah had to become a housemaid, and Mousab, her son, left school to become a mechanic to help with family expenses.
“I used to go to the market to buy meat or vegetables for my children, but now after we lost everything, we can’t afford it. I cry every time I go to the market because I can’t afford to feed my kids.”
HIHFAD team visited the village Sarah and her family are located in and assessed their nutritional needs during the month of Ramadan. HIHFAD worked to prepare ready-cooked Iftar meals to be distributed for everyone in the area for the entire month of Ramadan to ensure everyone had a healthy meal to break their fast.
Ismael’s story
After eight years of war where civilians, aid workers and infrastructure have been deliberately targeted, the water supply system in Idlib has been decimated. For Ismael, a farmer in the Idlib countryside, this meant no irrigation for his crops. It forced him to spend his meagre funds to secure alternative water resources.
In 2019, his life changed through HIHFAD’s agricultural voucher scheme. The vouchers support self-reliance for farmers, providing fuel to secure water for irrigation as well as seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and training in how to best nurture crops to maximise returns.
Thanks to the scheme Ismael has been able to plant 4,000 square metres of green beans this year and has the means to better support his family.
Omar’s story
Like five million children in Syria, Omar’s life was shattered in a second when a rocket, dropped from a warplane, hit his village home.
His mother explains
“It happened in the early hours of the morning, our home was struck directly. I couldn’t see anything because dust filled the air. I could only hear the cries of my Omar from under the rubble and I couldn’t move to help him because of the shrapnel that filled my body. I was rushed to the hospital, and later learned the news of my husband’s death and the amputation of Omar’s leg. It’s an indescribable moment of my life.”
Without a father or a home, Omar, his mother and grandfather were forced to move to the city of Armanaz, where they visited HIHFAD’s physiotherapy centre. As well as custom-fitting a prosthetic limb, HIHFAD provided continued support to Omar to teach him how to walk again.
In the words of Omar’s mother,
“It feels amazing to see Omar taking steps in front of my eyes as if he never lost a limb. I can send him to school and see him achieve his dreams in the future.”
Mulham’s story
Mulham has been denied the loving tenderness of a father’s care from his early childhood. Since he was three years old, his mother has had to adapt to the roles of both mother and father for Mulham and his older brother. She tried her best to provide but after her last job ended, she couldn’t find other work.
This year, Mulham has been granted sponsorship by HIHFAD and, by allocating him a monthly amount of money, his situation has improved.
Now in the fifth grade Mulham is one of the first in his class, despite suffering from hypoxia at birth. He enjoys his studies, and dreams of one day becoming an inventor. He also loves football and hopes to register with a club if he has the money to pay the fees. Where once Mulham felt inferior due to his family’s financial circumstance – saying
“I wish I could have a bicycle, but I don’t have one and don’t know how to buy one”
he has since been able to buy his school necessities and clothes. He is very grateful that this money has alleviated the burden on his mother.
Lina’s story
Having lost her father when she was just three years of age, Lina Abdulhay knows the meaning of loss.
Originally from the city of Aleppo, Lina now lives with her mother in Al-Atarib. Her mother is now the sole carer for Lina and for her seven brothers. Lina grieves for her father, who left a large gap in her life, and tends to distance herself from others. She dreams of him being near her, playing with her, teaching her and taking her to new places, like other children her age.
After HIHFAD secured her sponsorship, ensuring a monthly sum for her, Lina’s circumstances have improved. Now in fourth grade, Lina is an outstanding student and has ambitions to pursue her education and become a doctor, fulfilling her father’s wishes.
