Umm Yazan is a widow living in a camp for displaced people in Aleppo, Syria. To support her 4 young children, Umm Yazan collects and sells junk, but the money she makes is rarely enough to cover the family’s needs.
“Life has been difficult since we had to leave our home due to the war,” Umm Yazan says. “My 4 children and I live in a worn-out canvas tent that doesn’t provide enough protection from the weather. I cannot provide my children with a good education or the healthcare they need [and] we depend heavily on humanitarian aid to meet our basic food and drink needs.
“Unfortunately, meat is not a regular part of our diet because it is very expensive for us. I have great difficulty buying nutritious foods and this really affects my children’s health. They suffer from malnutrition, which makes them constantly tired, and have health problems like anaemia. Their bodies lack the nutrients they need to grow and develop healthily and that also affects their ability to concentrate and learn.”
Umm Yazan’s situation is shared by millions of Syrians displaced within the country and abroad over more than a decade of crisis.
