Meet Samiya, Syrian refugee from Al Ghouta

“My name is Samiya. I am from Al Ghouta, Syria. I live in Al Farah camp in Lebanon with my husband and our three children. Before the war, we had a good life. My husband used to drive a taxi. But when the conflict intensified, we had to flee to Damascus. My husband was unable to find work and we were struggling to survive, so we decided to leave Syria for Lebanon. He was able to
find a vehicle and is now driving a taxi in Lebanon, but work is still difficult to come by.

My 8 and 13 year-old daughters are in school, they both like English and want to continue their education and become teachers or doctors. My 15 year-old son doesn’t go to school, he missed a year of schooling and was unable to catch up. He is extremely traumatised. I feel he has lost his future, and I wish he could re-start his life and for things to be new and better.

The children stay within the camp or go to school. There is nothing else for them to do. I lived outside the camp previously, and I faced harassment and issues from landlords. I feel much safer in the camp.”