Mohamad's story

The war in Syria affects the entire population. The worst situation is for those who have lost their job, farmland or business due to fleeing their home. They have no income, no money, no food.

Uncle Mohamad from the Aleppo’s hinterland was previously able to feed his family. From the 1970s, he worked as a farmer. He supported his family, which consisted of his wife and seven children. He depended on his agriculture and the products he grew, sold and made a living from.

Then came the war. The area they lived in became a war zone and they were forced to leave their homes and sole source of income and flee the village. But Mohamad did not lose hope of returning to his agriculture again.

The flight continued

However, things did not go as planned for Mohamad and his family. There was no way to get home to their village. He could not find a place to live for his family for a long period. With renewed fighting in the country, he and his family had to flee from place to place. During these relocations, all his sons travelled abroad, except one, and all of his daughters were married off. Eventually, he and his wife settled in Hanano, Aleppo.

Age made him unemployed

Uncle Mohamad is now an older man. Therefore he had a hard time finding a job, and a suitable income opportunity in the new town. When his savings ran out, he found himself in extreme poverty - without work and without food. In Hanano, he was introduced to the Community Center, which Mission East runs through its local partner Dorcas. Uncle Mohamad asked for help with food as he had nothing for the day and the road. He was sick with fatigue and physically exhausted from malnutrition when he came to the Community Center and said, "I swear by God, it's been two days since I tasted a piece of old bread."

Help for hungry Syrians

At the Community Center, they gathered information about Mohamad’s family, and made sure they met all the criteria for getting emergency relief packages. Mohamad and his wife were approved as recipients of the food aid packages. Mission East's local partner Dorcas has provided three food aid packages to Uncle Mohamad and his wife, who are now being referred to other NGOs in the area, so food aid is secured until his health improves.

Sense of dignity

Uncle Mohamad has developed a close and good relationship with the staff at the Community Center, which he feels has treated him with dignity and respect despite his poverty and desperate need for food: "I was not poor before the war. Now I feel poor. But when I visit the Community Center, I regain my dignity and can feel respected as a human being. Thank you so much for that!"

 
This article was written by Karen Bendix for Mission East. The Foreign Ministry of Denmark is not responsible for the contents of the article.