6 countries, 6 conflicts, 6 stories of people who are #NotATarget

We lived under siege and now we are displaced

We met Abdul-Rahman in the south of Idlib province in Syria, but he is originally from the southern countryside of Damascus. The 50-year-old father of three boys and one girl moved to the capital back in 2000 and started to work as a driver in the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees. Everything went well and the family was even able to rent and later buy a small house. But a few years ago the war stormed into their lives. „We lived under siege since 2014 and a few months ago we were displaced to the small village of Ihsem in Idlib,“ Abdul-Rahman explains. „The most painful things to lose were my home, my car, everything I had ever saved and my children‘s chances at education,“ he says. Abdul-Rahman received a cash grant from People in Need. „Aid helps a little, it alleviates burdens,“ he says, adding that he hopes the situation will improve in Syria. „I do ask Allah that things will get better and Syrians will no longer suffer.“

ISIL used us as human shields

Falah lives in the Iraqi city of Mosul. It is his home, but also the place where he experienced the worst moments of his life. Everything started back in 2009. “Before ISIL entered Mosul city, the worst thing for me was losing my father. They were present in the form of terrorist groups inside the country earlier and they killed my father,” Falah says. During ISIL’s rule, people were not allowed to speak to fighters, they controlled everything in the city. Inhabitants had no choice but to respect their brutal system and were afraid to do anything, according to Falah. "We were not treated like humans but like animals," Falah says. "When the Iraqi government was trying to retake the area, ISIL would put us, civilians, in front of them and use us as human shields," he adds. Now, after Mosul was retaken from ISIL, life is very slowly coming back and non-government organizations are supporting the local people. “I like People in Need’s idea. Instead of money, you gave vouchers to the citizen and have agreed with the markets to provide them with building materials, or paints or glass,” Falah describes the support and adds that these are exactly the kind of things they need to reconstruct their homes. The trauma after the rule of ISIL remains and it will take generations to fully recover. "Now when someone dies or is killed in an explosion, it is normal, no one cares, because that’s what we learned in the war with ISIL," Falah says. When he considers the current situation, Falah says he sees no future in Iraq.

Humans are not made for war

Olga is one of 3.4 million victims of an almost forgotten conflict in eastern Ukraine. Everything started back in 2014 for Olga, 33, when fighting erupted in her native town, now located in non-government controlled areas of Ukraine. "I had to flee with my husband and two children to another town. Finally we settled in Slavyansk," she explains. The mother of 5- and 6-year old boys misses being able to communicate freely with relatives who remained in non-government controlled areas. The frontline separated the family. "We see them less often, definitely not as often as we would like. It’s because we need to cross the checkpoint," she explains. The beginning of life after displacement is far from easy, but humanitarian organizations have provided valuable help. "When we arrived in Slavyansk, we received assistance for our children and ourselves," Olga recalls. "This is really great support for those who had to leave most of their property back home and start a new life." The support continues today, and thanks to a a cash grant from People in Need, Olga was able to start her own small business. She creates handmade products using scrapbooking method. "I am now financially supporting my family, which makes me happy," Olga says. Her biggest wish? "I wish there was no war anywhere. Every human should do something valuable and good on this planet. Humans are not made for war."

The worst thing is to be separated from children

Violence and ethnic tension in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kasai Province has forced tens of thousands of Congolese to seek safety in Angola's Lunda Norte Province. We met Helene, a mother of five, in Lóvua settlement. "Here I am with just with two of my children; three stayed in Congo," she says. Apart from violence and very unstable security situation in Kasai, family reasons contributed to her decision to seek refuge in a foreign country. "I have lost my father and this also forced me to come to Angola," she explains. The life of a refugee is far from easy. For Helene, the worst thing is being separated from her children. "I consider humanitarian aid like something to eat and water. All those things that help us," Helene says. But it’s hard to plan for the future at the moment. "I wish to have a stabilized life, so I can start to build a future," she says.

Maria Lozan, Nina Tramullas, Zain Ul Mostafa, Claudia de Oliveira, Tatiana Gavyuk, Stepanka Pechackova, Sari Hajjneid & Petr Stefan on behalf of People in Need communication team