Warmth and light in Syria

Ahmad's story

Fleeing the Syria conflict


Ahmad, his wife and his eight children had been living in a displacement camp for 40 days when our partner in Syria first met them.

Like most families in the camp, they had to leave their home in Northern Syria because of the conflict. Bombs and shelling had left their neighbourhood in ruins.

A desperate situation


The journey to the camp wasn’t easy. After fleeing their home with nothing, they found refuge in a nearby village. 

But thanks to more shelling, within a week they had to move again – this time hiding in a forest. Taking cover under the trees, the family lay in the dark unable to sleep from the noise of the bombing, the rain and the cold.

Finally, Ahmad and his family made it to the displacement camp. There, they received a tent constructed of old tarpaulins and blankets roughly secured with a piece of rope.

Although they were grateful for what they received, the flimsy shelter couldn’t protect them from the rain and cold. Moreover, they had no food other than bread and olives.

Finding hope again


A family is receiving tools to build a shelter

Working in partnership with ReliefAid, we provided Ahmad with the tools he needed to start the process of recovery.

With insulation materials, mattresses, blankets, cooking sets and solar lights, the family can protect themselves from the bitter cold and start to pick up the threads of everyday life.

Recovery doesn’t happen overnight. 

However, the sooner that life starts to resemble normality, the sooner life regains its normal rhythm. And that doesn’t only include physical shelter, but  kitchen utensils that help provide regular family meals, and solar lights that shine through the darkness.

Now we sleep on mattresses and we are warm because of the blankets. The lamps are very useful at night, because the children were afraid of the dark.

Ahmad
A father with his 3 children inside a tent in Syria

No one without shelter after disaster


Right now over 100 million people are displaced around the world by conflict and disasters. That means over 100 million people without a place to call home. Without hope for the future.

We have to change this. We believe in a world where no family goes without shelter, where no one gets left behind or forgotten.

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