Mustafa*, is a 57-year-old man from Aleppo, who like millions of others in Northwest Syria, had to flee to save his life and protect his family. Everything started three and half years ago when a cluster missile fell on their village and was followed by a heavy bombing campaign.
“What can I tell you? We left everything and fled, everything that was dear to my heart. I only wish I had brought a picture of my father with me,” Mustafa says.
Mustafa and his family went first to a village close by to spend a few days before moving again, this time close to the Sheikh Yusef area, on the west side of Idlib, to find safety. The family stayed there renting a house for nearly three years, until February 6, 2023, when a powerful earthquake of 7.8 seismic magnitude struck northern and western Syria causing severe damage to their house and the small shop Mustafa used to run. The family was forced to move again, this time to a camp for internally displaced people in Idlib Governorate.
“Before the earthquake, we lived in a house with a kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms, but today we have nothing. In the summer, we feel the strong heat on the top of the tent and on the floor. The water is barely enough to take a shower once per week.”
As a graduate of the Faculty of Mathematics himself, he firmly believes that having access to education and being able to study at the University are crucial for an individual to be able to build a good life. Before being forced to flee from his homeland the family’s life was full of joy and prosperity.
“Back in my hometown in Aleppo, I owned a supermarket for 26 years and had my own farming land. I sent my children to university, and our life was very happy,” Mustafa remembers.
But as he says with a breaking voice being emotionally moved by memories, “Everything has now changed. The living conditions, the people, and the way of our life. What can we do? How can we secure income and cover expenses? When will this journey end? Only God knows.”
“If I could change one thing and start all over again, I would like to get a job that secures income, or to expand the small grocery store I own now. If I had the means, I would like to be self-reliant and not need anyone's help.
“There is no better place to live than my country. When I go to my land, I feel warm. Now, no matter how warm it is, we only feel cold. It is hard to look back to our past and there is no point in that. I miss my children, and my brother. I have one brother. I have a son and a daughter now in Türkiye, and the rest of the family is in Aleppo.”
“I hope that God will ease all people and that one day we will all be able to return to our homes. May peace prevail and may we start our lives again for the better, God willing.”
*Name changed to protect identity.