Before 50-year-old Mohammed left his hometown in Syria, he worked two jobs to support his wife and seven children:

We were all happy with that life, but happiness is often temporary.”

However, when the ongoing conflict in Syria, which is now in its tenth year, worsened, Mohammed and his family had to flee: “our lives turned upside down.” Speaking to staff from Bahar Organisation – one of ShelterBox’s partners in Syria – at a camp for internally displaced people, Mohammed said they had to leave everything behind.

To get to the camp, the whole family traveled in a truck with around 50 people: “We could not breathe or sleep, we stood upright for three days until we arrived at the camp”. When they arrived, like many other new families in the camp, they shared a large tent. “The situation was better than before, at least we were able to sleep normally, even though we were sleeping with many families”

After eight days in the camp, Mohammed’s family were given a ShelterBox tent, which they say has improved their situation: “It helped us to feel much more safe and independent.”

When the team asked Mohammed’s 11-year-old son, Ahmed, how he spends his days in the camp, and what things he wishes to receive, he answered:

I am fine here, I feel safety because I do not hear the sound of bombing and explosions anymore, but life here is very simple, we can’t do anything. I used to go to school, buy notebooks, pens and clothes, play football with my friends every day. Now, I can’t do any of that, I wish that we could have a small school here so that I and my brothers can continue our studies”.

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