Ali*, 42, is a simple cattle merchant. He used to own farms, machinery and water wells in Syria, but his situation is like that of many who have lost their homes and all other possessions and were forced to leave.
Ali said goodbye to his town, Izra’, in Dara’a in Southern Syria, after he lost everything he owned, leaving his memories, dreams and ambitions behind. He left because, like many, he was afraid for his family, who were subjected to the cold, harsh winter and to hunger and fear.
Ali has seven children: Aisha, 16 years old, is his eldest, followed by Hassan, Iman, Ahmad, Hussein and his youngest, Ghazi, who is 7 years old. He and his wife, Salimah, 36, had to suffer moving from one place to another to find a place where they can be safe.
After a search that lasted a year and a half, they found a makeshift shelter in Eastern Ghariyah in Dara’a. Their new home had no windows or doors and the perforated brick walls offered little protection against the weather conditions. After residing in the shelter, Ali built some windows and doors, but they were only made out of pieces of cloth.
Poverty followed Ali and his family for two years after they lived in the shelter. Salimah struggled to find ways to feed and dress her children. She collected scattered pieces of wood and broke dry tree branches to light a fire that would offer some warmth in the harsh winter months. She sometimes cooked rice and bulgur wheat leftovers and other times headed to nearby fields to find something to cook for her children.
She tried her best to cut down on the cost of food and help her husband in their household spending. Even though their house was always dusty, she did all she could to create a clean and pleasant environment for her family. Her life was difficult, but for her children, she did the impossible.
Ali was never unemployed. He persevered and created a simple trade. Every Tuesday and Friday, he would head to the cattle market to find ways to gain more money for his children. The 13,000 to 26,000 Syrian Pounds, equivalent to about 25 to 50 US dollars, that he usually made were not enough to put food on the table.
“Until the last day of my life, I will keep fighting hunger and will not surrender to unemployment. I want to teach that to my children. I do not want them to think that anything is impossible,” he says. He tries to hold back his tears in front of his children. He fears not being able to meet their needs.
Thanks to the support of the European Commission's Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), CARE has offered Ali assistance to enable him to meet his children’s needs. CARE has provided Ali and his family with winter clothing and psychosocial support. He no longer worries about how to keep his children warm in the winter and his financial situation has improved. He does not cease to say, “al hamdulillah”, which means “thank God”.
CARE's programs in Syria are partly funded by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals in this story.
For more on our work in Syria, click here.