Leen, a young woman originally from Palestine, is considered as she says, “a refugee twice.” Her grandparents were displaced from Palestine to Syria, so she is considered a Palestinian refugee in Syria. However, when she was 12 years old, they all had to move again due to the war in Syria, and now Leen, is a Palestinian-Syrian refugee in Türkiye. She has been with CARE’s community activators* since 2021, following training and workshops on psychological support, gender-based violence, family planning and other topics, which gives her joy as she feels empowered to “stand up against ignorance.”
On World Refugee Day 2023, Leen is sharing with us her thoughts and her experience as a refugee, wishing peace and justice for people in every corner of the world.
“When we were in Syria, I was a little child. The most important thing for me were the activities we were doing, such as demanding our freedom and our right to return to Palestine. I used to recite poetry, my uncle was a poet, and I was reciting his poetry, I participated in Palestinian folk plays and dances, I loved playing in the neighborhood and was busy with studying.”
"When I arrived in Türkiye, at the age of 12 years old, I felt I was carrying concerns bigger than my age,"Leen says.
“Everything changed for me so suddenly. I have lost my homeland, Palestine, and I was thinking that once again I have no place to call home. I started asking myself questions such as where do I go from here? Will I ever complete my studies? Will we live in a house with a roof on top of our heads?
I am separated from my sister, and I have not seen her for 12 years. I have lost things and dreams that I never thought I would lose one day. I have experienced the feeling of great loss. What I miss the most are the special people in my life. I miss my home, the place I grew up in, and the activities I used to do. I miss my sister and my uncle who passed away.
If I had the chance, I would choose to live in Palestine, my homeland, the place I have been wanting to return to since I was a little girl. This is in my blood. I wish to work in the field of media one day because I am interested in advocating for Palestine and Syria. I would like my work to shed light and aim at advocating for the rights of refugees everywhere.”
“It was very difficult for me to go back to school and start almost from scratch. I had to mix with the Turkish people, and I had to face racism often due to the society's view of me as an alien. These are difficulties that I still live with and face.
Back in Syria, I had a small closet inside which I collected Palestinian keffiyehs**, medals and flags from plays and events I participated in. But everything was buried under the rubble after our house was destroyed by air strikes. Our entire neighborhood in Syria was wiped out and my memories were wiped with it. Now, in Türkiye, I started collecting flags and keffiyehs anew, from both Palestine and Syria this time.
Refugees challenge racism, poverty, and alienation. I wish for a better future for our children and that they will not have to face the racism we had to face. I hope that justice and equality will prevail in every corner of the world, On this earth what makes life worth living.”***
"When we arrived in Türkiye, we had nothing. We built our dreams little by little,"she recounts.
Notes to editors:
*With funding from the European Union, CARE trains interested, available, and motivated community members as community activators, who together with CARE experts, employ a peer-to-peer education model in engaging with the community for information dissemination on topics from access to basic rights and mental health to child protection, education, parenting skills and gender-based violence.
** A Keffiyeh is a headdress, consisting of a square of fabric fastened by a band round the crown of the head.
*** “On this earth what makes life worth living” is a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, a Palestinian poet who has been recognized as one of the most prominent poets writing in Arabic in the twentieth century and as a resistance icon by reflecting the struggle of his people through his literary pieces.