My future is a dead end
Ahmad, 24 years old, is from Deraa, in Syria. In 2013, when fleeing the city, he trod on a landmine and lost his right foot. He is now a refugee in Jordan. Handicap International has fitted him with a prosthesis and provides physiotherapy but he struggles to imagine the future.
Ahmad, with one of the member of Handicap International team for a physiotherapy session. | © E. Fourt / Handicap International
"Before, everything was great. We lived, we worked and we wanted for nothing," explained Ahmad, looking back on his life in Syria. "Then the war entered our lives, along with the planes in the sky... our city was under siege. The bombing became a daily occurrence." At this time, Ahmad and some of his neighbours decided to leave. They moved from one neighbourhood to another, trying to find a safe place.
"One day we were fleeing the area we were in and I trod on a landmine which exploded. The explosion ripped my foot off. I was taken to the health centre and then straight into Jordan for treatment. I was operated on five times before I was discharged from hospital. Then I came here, to Zaatari. I have been living in this camp for three years now," he recounts.
Ahmad has been followed by Handicap International since his arrival in Jordan, he has been fitted with a prosthesis and receives rehabilitation care from the organisation. "Before, I couldn't move my leg. Now, I can get around again." Although he can now walk more comfortably, he regrets the lack of opportunities in the camp. "It's very hard to work here. I would like to move abroad, because I feel that here my future is a dead end. The war has been going on for six years, we're tired of it. Six years, it has to stop!"
