Reema*, a 48-year-old woman, lives in Syria with her two children and her husband who is blind. Years ago, her husband borrowed 21 grams of gold from his sister to purchase their home, with the commitment to repay the same amount. The family enjoyed relative stability until 2017 when his health severely deteriorated due to diabetes, leading to multiple complications, including blindness. This turn of events placed immense financial and emotional pressure on the family.
Their eldest son was forced to juggle both school and work to contribute to providing for the household, while their younger son faced severe psychological challenges, including schizophrenia and epilepsy, triggered by the trauma of his father's condition.
Due to financial constraints, Reema was also unable to continue the treatment her son needed for his congenital deformities.
Motivated by hope
By chance, while delivering abayas to a workshop owner, Reema learned about the vocational training and small business grants provided by Tearfund’s local partner, GOPA-DERD. Motivated by hope, she visited the centre where they were based and enrolled in a fashion design course. Once accepted, she fully committed herself to the training sessions.
Reema expressed deep gratitude to the GOPA-DERD team for the life-changing services she received. She shared, ‘For the first time in my life, someone is offering me something. I have always been the one to help and sacrifice for everyone around me, but no one ever asked me what I wanted, how I felt, or if I even had the energy.’
Through this experience, Reema learned to value herself, recognizing that she, too, deserved respect. ‘With you,’ she says, ‘I learned how to appreciate myself and see my dream in front of me again.’
