“I have waited seven years for you,” says Azizeh*

More than 13,000 innocent lives were cut down at their prime since the beginning of the Syrian war forcing their mothers to be in a never-ending state of grief. But war and its monstrosities did not stop there. It evicted these mothers from their homes into the barren lands, forcing them join almost 7 million Syrians. There is nothing to relieve their sorrow but the support they receive from humanitarian agencies.

However, Azizeh* had her mind set on rewriting her story.

Sometimes, things have to get worse before they improve.

Azizeh, now 27, was only 17 when she was forced to abandon her childhood to enter adulthood. “I lost everything, even the toys I had all my childhood and the room I spent the most precious memories in,” Azizeh says.

When bombardments turned Aleppo into a dangerous zone, Azizeh's family had to evacuate in 2012.  Azizeh did not fathom she would be saying goodbye to the house she grew up in. However, when her father barged into the house with heartbreak and fear in his eyes telling the shelling was too close, they knew they needed to leave immediately. At that moment, everything became surreal, and Azizeh experienced a mixture of emotions that all ended with one feeling: fear. It was the anxiety that overwhelmed her consciousness. 

“When my father told us we needed to leave, we did not know that it would be the last time we would see our house, so we left all the furniture and belongings, hoping to return soon. But after all these years, I don’t think that is possible anymore,” shares Azizeh.

Azizeh recalls that her family was frantically gathering whatever their fragile backs could carry. She thought about asking her father were they were moving to, but was almost certain that he did not know where either. He had one purpose: to find a shelter his family of four at all costs.

To be able to overcome the move slightly easier, she began thinking that maybe that journey was meant to be so that they could finally find peace. Three stops later, and with every step, Azizeh felt she was approaching her mysterious future.

Settling in the camp was not easy for Azizeh, but the hope of one day they could return home was keeping her alive. “It was very difficult to live in a tent surrounded by hundreds of others, but with time we got used to it. The human ability to adapt helped her survive the next three years in the deportation camp. Finally, the tiny tents Azizeh thought she would never get used to, began to feel safe. The rocky unpaved road that she was forced to pass led her to what she now calls home, and the mysterious future began unravelling. Seems like everything was part of a bigger plan.

A knock on the door and hope is around the corner

Adapting into a place is hardly what makes it a home, after all, it's the people who make the walls a home.

Miraculously, in times of suffering and hardship, our wounds connect us and bring us closer. That's what happened to Azizeh. It is the universal way of healing us and bringing us back together.

Azizeh’s story begins here. The family living next door is friendly and they connected with Azizeh. She is beautiful with a sharp mind.

That is when Azizeh and Yaser’s worlds collided and they instantly knew they wanted a life together. After Yaser's mother talked to Azizeh about the possibility of getting married, Yaser finally proposed to her resulting in a beautiful marriage in 2015. They were hoping to build a family of their own like any newlywed couple. “I felt delighted, I knew he would be my backbone in sickness and health, happiness and sadness,” tells she.

However, her happiness was never complete since she couldn't not give a birth and was dreaming of motherhood. Six years passed by, Azizeh’s dream of being a mother seemed to get further and further away. "Every time I was going to the doctor, my husband would be waiting for good news. Unfortunately, every time I would come back and tell him that there was no pregnancy, he was feeling devastated”.

With each doctor visit, Azizeh’s heart would break a little.

Still, she didn’t surrender to her fate and believed that happiness will find its way. Azizeh will have her baby in her arms soon. But despite that firm belief, she went through dark moments where she fell in despair, “I have visited many health clinics and gave up,” she shares.

Finally, God answered her prayers and one day a her neighbour advised her to visit World Vision’s partner’s health clinic where reproductive health services are provided. “I was hesitant after all the heartbreak but after she insisted, I went”. Slowly and with the doctor’s support, guidance and consistent medical referrals over a couple of months,  the puzzle pieces began falling into place.

As soon as the midwife put the device to check for pregnancy, it became clear that Azizeh was pregnant in her second trimester. “I felt I was levitating from happiness. It was a feeling I cannot describe... After all these years,” she shares happily. The midwife provided her with a visiting schedule to monitor the baby growth and ensure everything is going well.

Azizeh went to break the joyful news to her husband who could not believe what he heard. “He was in denial at first...” But now, she is in her seventh month of pregnancy and will be one of the 312 childbirths the centre did so far.

Approximately 70,800 women benefited from the centre getting health services and consultations. The health project also provides a dental clinic, pediatrics, and internal medicine support to almost 116,500 internally displaced Syrians. This means, after Azizeh gives birth in two months, she is able to visit the centre for follow-up consultations with her healthy baby.

*Name has been changed to protect identity.