Zakia

My name is Zakia, and I am 47 years old. We came to Kurdistan in 2012 as the situation in Syria was becoming worse and worse. There, life was normal for us. We worked all together on the farm, and we were satisfied. Here, we lived in a tent. The situation was bad – in summer there was extreme heat, and in winter, deep cold.

When storms came, I was afraid for my children sleeping without real shelter. We didn’t have proper clothes, and the children were bullied at school. After some time, my oldest son left his studies to work in construction and help support our family. One day, he fell off the 4th floor and suffered serious injuries. We stayed in the hospital for 4 months and he is paralyzed now. After my son became sick, I was feeling hopeless all the time. I just want him to be like everyone else. I want him to enjoy youth, be with friends, get married. I want him to have a normal life. I grieved for everything we have lost.

In the most challenging time of my life, I started attending the GROW program. I was in need of changing my thinking, my mood, and feeling refreshed.

After I attended the program, my mental health become better. I became more active and motivated to support my son! I loved all the sessions, but my favorite was the one about hope. It made me more hopeful in life. I will not give up. I have hope, and I feel so much stronger.

Because of the generosity of people like you, women like Zakia can care for themselves and their families, and have hope for their futures. BUT there are thousands of people with stories that are yet to end with hope. Help Tutapona provide emotional healing by donating today.