• 22 Jan, 2026

Amira* wishes the world could see the reality of what is happening in Syria The images shown on the news and in the media do not convey the suffering that she and her family—and thousands of other refugees—have endured

She says, “Children are born and raised in war Their games are war games Five-year-old children know nothing but the guns and bombs that destroyed their homes”

Amira is a 17-year-old girl from Hama, a city in northwestern Syria, where she lived with her parents and her five younger siblings

When airstrikes hit Hama in 2013, the family fled to the countryside They returned, but within weeks the bombs began falling again, and bodies were scattered in the streets

“I remember telling myself every moment: this is the end, we are going to die,” she recalls “My father decided that we had to leave, no matter the cost”

The family found a driver to take them out of the city Then they traveled by car or on foot, resting in nearby towns, until they reached Idlib, 60 miles from their home They carried only a few clothes with them Amira packed a blanket and her favorite books, along with her identity documents, including her school papers, but she lost them during the journey

“My younger siblings were sick, it was extremely hot, and we didn’t have much water,” she says “We went to abandoned places The sight of the empty village was terrifying—like a ghost town”

Despite everything, Amira stayed strong for her siblings, who look up to her She reassured them with hugs and promises that they were going to “a beautiful place where they would meet people who love them” She explains, “When you see your parents, you feel strong And when you see your younger siblings, you want to be like your parents so they feel that strength too”

Family means everything to Amira, especially in times of crisis “I try to help my siblings forget what they went through,” she says “I listen to them, ask them about their feelings, and comfort them I understand them, and they love me”

As violence has recently escalated in Idlib and northern Hama, newly displaced people are in urgent need of shelter, food, and emergency healthcare Amira and her family received medical assistance, life-skills training, and psychosocial support from the International Rescue Committee to help ease the burden of the violence and suffering they experienced

“They helped us feel at ease,” Amira says

Amira holds tightly to her hopes and dreams, especially returning to school She once dreamed of teaching primary school students, but since the outbreak of the war, she now plans to work as a seamstress to help support her family

“I used to spend most of my time in my room studying,” she says “I wish I could return to my studies and go back to my home A person is always deeply connected to their home”