Meet Farah, 6
How chasing after a teapot saved my life
We Brits love tea but could you imagine it saving your life?
“I am Farah from Syria. I am 6-years-old. I live with my mum, dad and my brother and sisters. I have lived in Za’atari camp for five years.”
Farah loves to attend her local preschool. She has a mischievous smile which leads into an infectious laugh. Her mum says she can be a bit naughty sometimes.
You could say Farah is just like any child growing up here in the UK. Except, since she was born she has only known conflict.
“When I came from Syria to here, I was only two,” says Farah. “I only remember when the bomb hit my house and how the table melted down on the ground.”
Farah’s family had some dangerous close calls. Her sisters could no longer attend school after it was continually bombed and their neighbour’s sons were severely injured. But the final straw came on Ramadan.
I only remember when the bomb hit my house and how the table melted down on the ground.
“It was the tea that saved us,” says Farah’s mum Un Khalid.
The family were all gathered for dinner. Farah’s cousin was at their home and wasn’t ready to finish playing. He took the teapot off their table and taunted them to catch him. Farah’s whole family chased after him into the garden.
Incredibly, it was at that moment that a bomb fell right into their living room. It fell directly into the middle of their table where their Ramadan family feast was laid out.
After that, Farah’s family fled Syria for Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Za’atari is now home to almost 80,000 Syrian refugees who have escaped bombs and violence. One in five living there are under 5-years-old and have only ever known crisis.
Help us keep more Syrian children safe
How is UNICEF helping children like Farah?
Since the start of the conflict, UNICEF has been on the ground working tirelessly to protect Syrian children and give them hope for a happy future.
In Za’atari refugee camp we ensure children have the life-saving supplies they need, including medicine, healthcare and food. We’re providing education, trauma support and safe spaces for children to play and have some much-needed fun.
UNICEF is also providing clean water to every household in Za’atari to ensure children, like Farah can grow up healthy.
Supported by UNICEF, Farah will soon start school. Her mum – a primary school teacher herself in Syria – says her family won’t leave Za’atari until her children can finish their education. “They have already lost so much because of this conflict, I don’t want to take their education away from them.”
You can help children like Farah by providing medicine, food and a chance for a hopeful future. Donate to our Syria children’s appeal today.
You can help children like Farah
Donate today and provide medicine, food and a chance for a hopeful future for children in Syria.
