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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Syria's refugees: Um Hamza | Syria's refugees: Um Hamza |
| (2 months later) | |
| From Misefra, Deraa Now Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan In exile Six months | From Misefra, Deraa Now Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan In exile Six months |
| "All I want now is a treatment for my eight-year-old daughter Rahaf. She needs heart surgery soon but the cost is so high. I do not have a penny with me. We fled Misefra town in Deraa six months ago after the killing of my 72-year-old father and my 17-year-old brother by the government army. They used to live in a big farm in a village in Misefra. I was completely shocked to find the bodies of my father and brother in the farm. | "All I want now is a treatment for my eight-year-old daughter Rahaf. She needs heart surgery soon but the cost is so high. I do not have a penny with me. We fled Misefra town in Deraa six months ago after the killing of my 72-year-old father and my 17-year-old brother by the government army. They used to live in a big farm in a village in Misefra. I was completely shocked to find the bodies of my father and brother in the farm. |
| "I used to work in olive and bean farms, picking olives and beans all day to get some money. My husband was doing odd jobs but it was not enough to cover the requirements of our family. I have five children but my youngest daughter, Rahaf, was born with a congenital heart defect. She needs to be seen by a heart doctor regularly. | "I used to work in olive and bean farms, picking olives and beans all day to get some money. My husband was doing odd jobs but it was not enough to cover the requirements of our family. I have five children but my youngest daughter, Rahaf, was born with a congenital heart defect. She needs to be seen by a heart doctor regularly. |
| "After the killing of my father and brother. I could not do any work. I was hiding at home and not talking to anyone. I started to hate to see a man around me. I could not even stand to see the Free Syrian Army men. I began to hate them all. I wanted to kill any FSA man I saw in front of me. I was completely different before. I was providing the family with food and water when they used to hide in a basement during the bombings. I was the only one who was brave enough to go out, regardless of the shooting. I turned into a very scared person and could not focus on anything. | "After the killing of my father and brother. I could not do any work. I was hiding at home and not talking to anyone. I started to hate to see a man around me. I could not even stand to see the Free Syrian Army men. I began to hate them all. I wanted to kill any FSA man I saw in front of me. I was completely different before. I was providing the family with food and water when they used to hide in a basement during the bombings. I was the only one who was brave enough to go out, regardless of the shooting. I turned into a very scared person and could not focus on anything. |
| "But still I did not want to leave my house. We have lots of awful stories about Syrian refugees in Jordan and Turkey. I prefer to die in my country rather than fleeing to a refugee camp. It is like a slow death in Zaatari camp, if you compare it to the quick death by Bashar al-Assad in Syria. | "But still I did not want to leave my house. We have lots of awful stories about Syrian refugees in Jordan and Turkey. I prefer to die in my country rather than fleeing to a refugee camp. It is like a slow death in Zaatari camp, if you compare it to the quick death by Bashar al-Assad in Syria. |
| "But my daughter's health condition began to deteriorate as the weather was getting colder. The doctor in our town could give her only painkillers. The town was empty of any medical facilities. I and my husband decided to flee to Zaatari camp with our four daughters and our only son Hamza, hoping to get proper treatment for our daughter. We came here to find a tent and food ration card waiting for us. Some blankets and clothes. Sometimes I have to sell the food we get by the card to buy a kilo of tomatoes. | "But my daughter's health condition began to deteriorate as the weather was getting colder. The doctor in our town could give her only painkillers. The town was empty of any medical facilities. I and my husband decided to flee to Zaatari camp with our four daughters and our only son Hamza, hoping to get proper treatment for our daughter. We came here to find a tent and food ration card waiting for us. Some blankets and clothes. Sometimes I have to sell the food we get by the card to buy a kilo of tomatoes. |
| "I took my daughter to the Moroccan hospital in the camp. They gave her a few tablets. Then I took her to the Saudi hospital, they told me she needs a procedure which they cannot do. I was told that I can take her to the Jordanian university hospital in Amman. We stayed for a week in the capital and were told that she needs surgery as soon as possible. The cost of the surgery is 7,000-10,000 Jordanian dollars. We had to come back to the camp as we could not afford the surgery. | "I took my daughter to the Moroccan hospital in the camp. They gave her a few tablets. Then I took her to the Saudi hospital, they told me she needs a procedure which they cannot do. I was told that I can take her to the Jordanian university hospital in Amman. We stayed for a week in the capital and were told that she needs surgery as soon as possible. The cost of the surgery is 7,000-10,000 Jordanian dollars. We had to come back to the camp as we could not afford the surgery. |
| "I've been asking the people who are in charge of the camp to provide my daughter at least with a caravan but till now, I haven't been able to get anything." | "I've been asking the people who are in charge of the camp to provide my daughter at least with a caravan but till now, I haven't been able to get anything." |
| As told to Mona Mahmood | As told to Mona Mahmood |
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