Stories
July 19, 2024 • 4 min read
Each December, winter announces itself in Syria with freezing temperatures, heavy snowfall, and harsh winds. These conditions pose severe challenges for displaced and other vulnerable families, who are often forced to seek refuge in inadequate shelters.
GOAL’s winterisation programme supports displaced families by providing cash assistance they can use to access heating fuel and other critical winter supplies. These resources help them endure the hardships of winter while coping with the challenges of displacement. With another winter just around the corner, GOAL teams are already preparing for the challenges ahead.
This is the story of one family that battled the last winter in Syria with the support of GOAL.
A Family’s Battle Against Conflict, Displacement & Winter
“My wife and I both suffer from various diseases, aching in all parts of our bodies. At our age, the human body cannot withstand the cold anymore,” says Suleiman, a 68-year-old mathematics teacher from southern Aleppo. “Every winter, this becomes our biggest concern,” he adds.
Suleiman firing up the gas stove to warm his room.
In 2016, Suleiman’s family were forced to join the over 7 million people internally displaced by the ongoing 13-year conflict in Syria. They relocated to Sijo Village in Northern Aleppo, near the Turkish-Syrian border, after escalating attacks made it impossible to remain in their hometown.
The Impact of Displacement & Rebuilding Lives in a New Community
Travelling across Aleppo’s vast countryside in search of safety for months on end, Suleiman had to leave behind much more than his house and belongings as he fled the conflict.
Suleiman had been a respected leader in his home village, where his family had lived for generations. His wisdom and goodwill earned him great respect, and his students and their parents cherished him. However, displacement shattered his social network. “It was a very bad period, with my way of living, social standing, and home all gone. My whole life had changed,” he explains.
Suleiman never lost hope that he would one day return home. “When I had to leave our village, it never crossed my mind that I would not be able to go back. It has been seven years now, and every day I’ve told myself that we are going to go back soon,” he says.
Yet his two children, now approaching adulthood after growing up under conflict and in displacement, knew they had to rebuild their lives, even if it meant never returning home. So, soon after settling in Sijo Village, they left to seek job opportunities in more central communities, desperate to survive amidst ongoing military strife and economic crisis.
Struggling to Meet Essential Needs
“It has been very difficult to provide for our essential needs at this age, living in displacement,” Suleiman continues, “Years of war have been harsh and frightening, bringing pain and sorrow. We have experienced circumstances we had never imagined possible before.”
Even with the many adversities, Suleiman and his wife held out hope for the future: “Despite all the miserable circumstances we experienced, we did not give up. I chose to return to teaching despite being away from home,” Suleiman explains.
While Suleiman is glad to be teaching children again in a nearby village, his income barely covers his family’s needs. He shares, “The salary is not enough to provide for rent, water, and electricity.” Needs are exacerbated in winter: “Each winter, we fear the arrival of the cold, which brings with it a deterioration of an already challenging situation,” adds Suleiman.
Suleiman is preparing a lesson for his students at his room.
Cash Assistance from GOAL
One of GOAL’s winterisation programmes in Syria, “Cash for Winter”, supported by the Aid Fund for Northern Syria (AFNS), provided cash assistance to over 14,350 families in North Aleppo from October 2023 to February 2024. This project enabled vulnerable households like Suleiman’s to purchase essential winter supplies and other necessities during the coldest months. AFNS, a humanitarian pooled fund established in 2022, focuses on meeting priority needs in northern Syria.
Suleiman receiving cash assistance at the GOAL winter aid distribution centre in Sijo Village.
“Last winter, GOAL took a burden off our backs when they distributed winterisation assistance,” shares Suleiman, adding, “With the cash they gave us, I managed to buy heating materials and save a little money for food and medicine. The aid gave warmth and happiness to our hearts and life during the cold winter.”
The support from GOAL has made it easier for displaced families like Suleiman’s to survive the coldest months of the year. “This cash has helped us through the misery and warmed our lives – I hope GOAL will continue assisting vulnerable people here,” Suleiman says.
Suleiman is
buying heating gas at a nearby petrol station.
Looking Forward
While Suleiman is grateful for the support, he can’t help but long for a time when this aid will not be needed, despite the weight of an uncertain future and another harsh winter, just around the corner. “I’ll continue to hold on to the hope of returning to my home, to my school, to my neighbours, and to my friends—to my life. My wish is to live the rest of my days in peace and get buried in my homeland,” he concludes.
