Ten years of conlfict weight heavily on Namaat
11-year-old Syrian refugee Namaat has had to grow up very fast in order to look after her younger siblings.
© UNHCR / Diego Ibarra Sanchez
“I’m 11 years old, but I feel that I’m 100 years old.”
Ten years of crisis in Syria forced Namaat to grow up in seconds. With school, home and all semblance of normalcy destroyed, the young Syrian refugee lost part of her childhood.
10 years of war in #Syria forced Naamat to grow up in seconds. #EverySecondCounts pic.twitter.com/2jGvP1Epq2
— UK for UNHCR (@UNRefugeesUK) April 29, 2021
Her family fled Homs in Syria in 2013 and their dire financial situation has seen Namaat take on household duties.
Namaat and her family aren’t the only ones. Thousands of refugees observe Ramadan in extreme poverty. Namaat explains, “It depends on our situation. I need to help my parents and help my siblings. They have no one as old as I am.”
For Namaat, one of the most significant losses when she was forced to flee her home was the disruption to her education. Despite this, Namaat says, “No, I will not surrender to despair.”
Instead, Namaat forges on and sees better days ahead. In fact, her resilient spirit enables her to excel at school in her new home in Amman, Jordan.
“I love education, because I feel that it will give me a beautiful future.”
Namaat’s optimism and determination is a reminder that no matter how bad circumstances can become, there is always hope.
“I’m optimistic about having a beautiful future and beautiful life. And I’m overcoming the difficulties I’ve gone through.”
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Helping Syrian refugees is easier than you think. To donate to help families like Namaat’s, please visit this page.
For the latest facts and figures on displaced families in Syria, visit the UNHCR data portal.
