Affording a new life

Hayat*, 33, is a mother of five children aged two, four, seven, ten and twelve. She knew that ever since that war broke, her children deserved the best life she could possibly provide.  However, life has its way of testing our stamina towards change. As the saying goes, “man does not attain all his heart's desires for the winds do not blow as the vessels wish”.

This led Hayat into a vortex of survival, searching for peace inside Syria but to no avail. Her firstborn was only 11 days old when she and her husband gave up hope on ever raising a family there and started discussing options elsewhere. War-torn Syria and years of conflict wreaked havoc across the land leaving basic needs almost unattainable. Food prices increased 93 per cent and non-food items increased 75 per cent on average confirming the family’s decision about seeking refuge elsewhere.

This meant opening a new chapter in neighbouring Türkiye was an option.

In 2011, the mother of one, at that time, packed whatever she could and headed to Hatay along with her husband. As soon as they settled, they knew that money does not grow on trees so the father secured a job at a bakery. Things calmed down and the family felt a sense of belonging they yearned for. “When my husband was working I could buy anything I wanted from the market,” she recalls.

But, things would not stay as calm as Hayat wished.

Then Mother Nature's fury turned 15.73 million lives around in Syria and Türkiye including Hayat and her little family who just grew larger. An earthquake destroyed homes on top of their owner leaving helpless beings screaming under layers of cement and rubble.

Luckily, the family were able to escape unharmed but lost their home they barely managed to secure and rent. Nonetheless, the mother was relieved to see her children and husband healthy.

As a result, they became displaced yet again, looking for another home. They ended up in a displacement camp along with 2,500 other families who lived through the same ordeal. At least the family has a place to live but it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, it came with its own set of challenges. Securing a job isn’t feasible in such conditions therefore, the family relied on humanitarian support to survive. Not only that, she also mentions, “there are ten toilets and ten showers in the whole area. It is difficult to find clean toilets. As I have five children, I have to use the toilet and shower frequently. But they are 500 metres away from our shelter. Both the distance is difficult and it is a problem to go there, especially at night. Last week they installed lighting, now it is a bit easier,” she shares.

With the problem of sanitary toilets keeping the mother at night, World Vision Syria Response in Türkiye noticed the issue. So along with its local implementing partner Support to Life, they installed 250 toilets and showers to address issues 9,358 families like Hayat’s were facing. But another issue immediately arose, securing basic food items. Therefore, as a first step, World Vision Syria Response distributed cash vouchers for 1,700 families like Hayat to close the gaps in their needs.

“I mostly bought nappies, wet wipes and napkins for my 2-year-old daughter. I bought shampoo, detergent and bleach. The card was very important because we don’t receive any hygiene supplies here”.

*Names are changed to protect identity.