Samira’s Story – Save the Children
“Samira is a 28-year old mother of 4 children. She lives in an area for displaced people in Syria. She became a widow and single mother after her husband was killed during the conflict. She and her children had to flee their village at a point when she was five months pregnant.”
SAMIRA’S STORY:
My husband was killed during the fighting and I had to leave my village with my four children. I was five months pregnant and it took me two months to get to this shelter. Throughout the entire journey my children and I were bitterly cold and hungry.
After my husband was killed, my first priority was to ensure my children’s safety. I was five months pregnant. We were fleeing for our lives and weren’t able to grab anything from our home. All we had was the clothe son our backs. It took us about two months to reach the relative safety of this place. The journey was terrible – a constant battle against hunger and the cold. Whenever it rained the only place for me and my four children to take shelter was under the trees.
Once we reached this area – where a lot of displaced people are staying – I went into labour. I was only in my seventh month of pregnancy. I had no access to a hospital or trained medical staff. The other women here had to help me give birth. My child was born prematurely so he needed special care. He should have been put into an incubator but sadly there was not one available. As a result my son only lived for two hours.
I was distraught. I needed a lot of medication to get my health back again, but yet again, the resources weren’t here. Thankfully, the neighbors gave me a lot of help. They brought me what medicine they could and took care of my children. It’s now a year since my newborn son died. I still have days when I feel extremely sad but I’m slowly getting better and trying to be optimistic. I hope to go back to my home village one day.
They’ve killed my husband and my child. Now I must carry on without a companion or a breadwinner.
*Name has been changed to protect identities.
