Tamam and her family used to live a quiet life in Syria. She never imagined she would lose it all.
Gideon Heugh
Tamam and her family had a home in the Syrian countryside where they reared goats; cultivated fruit, vegetables and herbs; and had an olive grove. The conflict came without warning. Armed groups entered her village and cut off the electricity and running water.
‘My husband, the garden, my home... they're all gone, but I remain.’
Crops and animals were lost, and food became scarce. Then, one day, Tamam’s husband died too. With no other option, she took her children and they ran for their lives.
A few precious photographs is all that remains of their previous life.
‘My husband, the garden, my home... they're all gone, but I remain,’ says Tamam.
Tamam’s home is now two rooms in a slum in Lebanon. It is cramped and dangerous. Life is hard, but there are fragments of hope. Tearfund’s local partner, Tahaddi Education Center, is in the heart of the settlement. They provide schooling, trauma counselling and healthcare, as well as business training. Tamam was invited to join their sewing programme.
Tamam joins other refugees at the Tahaddi Education Center’s sewing programme.
Her new skills now provide her with an income, and she can feed her family. Tamam plans to open a workshop to teach others. Now she dreams of the better life she is building for her children. But there are millions of people like Tamam whose lives have been shattered by conflict. Only through the regular gifts of people like you can they flourish again. Please join us today.
Learn about our work and stay in touch with all things Tearfund. Hear about our news, activities and appeals by email.
Sign up nowYour privacy and peace of mind are important to us. We are committed to keeping your data safe. We only collect data from people for specific purposes and once that purpose has finished, we won’t hold on to the data.
For further information, including a full list of individual cookies, please see our privacy policy.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.
These cookies allow us to measure and improve the performance of our site. All information these cookies collect is anonymous.
These allow for a more personalised experience. For example, they can remember the region you are in, as well as your accessibility settings.
These cookies help us to make our adverts personalised to you and allow us to measure the effectiveness of our campaigns.
