* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
When you see that your children and husband need help, every woman naturally goes into action.
I am Shireen from Afrin, Syria. I am 39 years old. I’ve been living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) for five years, with my husband and four children.
We used to live in Aleppo. Our house was at the centre of the clashes and my husband’s workplace was shelled and hit by a rocket, so he lost his job. There were problems every day, so we had to flee. When we first arrived here, only my husband was working, but after a month we saw that he couldn’t handle it on his own. We wanted our children to finish school. So I had to look for work too.
Back in Syria, we were middle class. There were women who worked, but many educated women still stayed at home, because of their families and husbands.
Now, everyone who fled Syria has to work – even 6-year-old children, they sell chewing gum and napkins on the streets. It’s not something we have chosen, but I think this situation has created a chance for women to work her.
When I came here and started working, I understood what it meant for a woman to be financially independent. She can get space to do what she likes, without seeking help from anyone. She can take decisions on her own. The negative side of working was that I was away from my children so much. Sometimes I wouldn’t see them for three days in a row. It wasn’t good for them, or for me as a mother. But what kept me going was knowing that I was working for them.
My friend Um Hani told me about the women’s centre – she said they provide courses on sewing and other skills. Back in Syria, I had a hairdressing certificate. I thought, I can gain more experience and knowledge, and meet new people. As refugees, we didn’t know anyone and we struggled to communicate because of the language barrier. It’s nice to meet people from your homeland.
I completed a course in hairdressing and am taking another on make-up. I tried opening a hairdressing salon with one of my friends from Sulaymaniah, but unfortunately the location was far from my house and with the travel expenses I couldn’t make a profit, so I had to quit. Even big businesses are struggling.
The women’s centre made us all stronger. When you see that your children and husband need help, every woman naturally goes into action. There is no room for fear. And work teaches a woman a lot of things – it teaches her to be strong, it gives her confidence. She can meet people, and it helps her psychologically. I encourage every woman to find work, whether she has to or not. If one day things go back to normal in Syria and I can return home, I’ll continue to work – even if I don’t have to.
The people of this region opened their doors and welcomed us, we are thankful to everyone. We hope that the war will end and peace can come back to everyone’s homeland – not just in Syria, but to Iraq and every country where there is conflict. I hope people can return to their relatives. War kills, and it destroys you financially. But even if we had rooms full of money, it wouldn’t equal the joy of being with your mother. It’s really hard to wake up in the morning and you not hear your mother’s voice. It’s hard during the festivities – there are memories that stick in your mind. In Syria, we had friends and relatives who we visited all the time. I want my children to have a nice life and play like all other kids. I hope for a better future for my children, I hope that I can help them finish their education and provide them with better living standards. Every parent wants this for their children.
Shireen is mother of four from Arfin, Syria now living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where she is attending a year-long training programme provided by Women for Women International.
