I feel that hope is dead in Syria
Nassrah, 56 years old, is from Deraa (soutern Syria). Her house was bombed at the start of the conflict. Her leg was injured by a missile and she had to be amputated. Fitted with a prosthesis by Handicap International, she is now learning to walk again with the organisation's help.
Nassrah, with her walking frame | © E. Fourt / Handicap International
Nassrah greets Mohamed, one of Handicap International's physiotherapists, who visits her regularly. She grips her walking frame to enter her caravan, invites him in and offers him some coffee. She removes her prosthesis to do her rehabilitation exercises and starts telling her story. "I lost my leg at the start of the revolution. I was at home with my children, when the tanks rolled in and started to bombard us. A missile came through the living room window and landed in my leg."
Shortly after the bombing, Nassrah took refuge in Jordan with some of her family members. "The rest of them are now scattered around the world. Some are in England, some have stayed in Syria. My only sister is still there." The tears start to fall as she continues, "When I speak to her on the phone, she tells me that life is really hard. She sobs down the line and tells me not to come back. I feel like hope is dead in Syria."
Nassrah dries her tears. In spite of the difficulties, she wants to continue to fight to get back on her feet. She works hard during the physiotherapy sessions delivered by the organisation and tries to walk as much as possible. "If I can't go home I would like to go somewhere else because life in the camp is very difficult. But I would never leave without my sons. The family I have left is the most important thing in my life." The Syrian woman also has a passion for birds, she keeps a dozen of them in a small shelter, beside her caravan. "In my country, we love birds. Taking care of them is a way of feeling at home."
