HADEEL AL-OMAR

Idlib- Displaced women living in IDPs camps in the northern Syrian province of Idlib struggle to survive in freezing temperatures and poverty. They burn animal dung and waste to stay warm and say humanitarian aid organizations do not provide the necessary support to displaced people.

Alia Malhan, 31, is a mother of four struggling to survive in one of the IDPs camps. She collected waste wood and stacked them next to her tent. “I should buy firewood to stay warm; however, we do not have money to buy firewood. I have already collected some waste wood but it is insufficient. In summer, I dried animal dung to burn in winter. However, our tent smells bad whenever we burn dung to stay warm. We endure these difficult conditions because we have no other choice. I dream of having a small and warm house.”

 Many people get sick

Three children of Baraa Al-Haram, 28, got sick due to the waste she burned to keep them warm. “Many people suffer from asthma because we have to use waste to stay warm. Many people have been hospitalized due to asthma attacks. We know that burning waste is unhealthy but have no other choice. We do not have money to buy firewood.”

 She uses whatever she finds to stay warm

 Baraa Al-Harami, who lives in a crowded camp, has to walk hours to find firewood. “Although I walk for hours, I cannot find enough firewood. Therefore, I have to collect household items and plastic to burn. We burn plastic, old fabrics, shoes and anything else we find. We suffer from poverty, the lack of aid and free treatment.”

‘I try to survive’

We saw Najia Al-Tarraf, 60, sitting in front of her worn-out tent. She told us the challenges faced by her with the following words: “I never thought I would collect and burn plastic and old clothes to stay warm. I have pain in my hands and back. If I do not collect them to stay warm, who will collect them for me? Half of my children were killed in the war. Sometimes, I receive aid from people and exchange them for firewood. I try to survive in freezing temperatures. Our elderly neighbor died from the cold last winter and it scares me a lot. I suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure.If necessary, I will burn everything in the tent to survive.”