“I will not go back to Syria even if the crisis ends, I have nothing there to return to.”
After her son and pregnant daughter were killed, Um Mohamed fled with her grandchildren to Lebanon.
Since the outbreak of the Syria crisis, more than one million people have sought refuge in Lebanon. As increasing numbers of refugees enter the country, there is an urgent need to cope with the influx and provide support for basic needs – particularly food, shelter and health.
Um Mohamed, 63, has been living with her seven orphaned grandchildren in a camp in Mount Lebanon since 2013.
Before the conflict, Um Mohamed lived in safety in Syria. But then violence broke out and her husband was kidnapped. She still does not know what happened to him.
When a bomb exploded near their home in Aleppo, her two sons went to help get people out of the damaged building. A second explosion killed one of her sons and severely injured the other. Her pregnant daughter was also killed by a bomb. Um Mohamed gathered her five grandsons, now orphaned, and brought them to Lebanon.
When they arrived in the country, Um Mohamed rented a house and started selling tissues in the street to earn money for rent and food. The little she earned was not enough to make ends meet, so after a few months she was forced to take her family to the camp. They have lived there ever since.
With Um Mohamed unable to work to provide for her family, she relies on support from Islamic Relief. She receives food and other items, and she also has a regular allowance for one of her grandsons through our orphan sponsorship scheme.
Um Mohamed’s wish is to see her grandsons go back to school. She said: “God has given me the strength to support my grandsons, and I will be happy if I could help other orphans wherever they are.”
Please support our work inside Syria and in nearby countries to assist people caught up in the brutal conflict: donate to our Syria Crisis Appeal today.
Donate