Farah (12) Stays Strong After the Syria Earthquake

The series of earthquakes that hit north-west Syria and central Türkiye in February 2023 were among the worst in recent history. More than 4,500 deaths and 8,700 injuries were reported in north-west Syria in the weeks following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Today over 1,000 schools remain shuttered and thousands of families are still living in tents and other temporary structures.

More frightening than war

Farah (12) remembers being woken from a deep sleep at 4:00am - only to wake up to a scene of devastation. “Our house was split in two,” she recalls. It was too dangerous to stay. My father, mother, sister and brothers and I had to leave to find a safe place to sleep.”

Safe shelter was hard to find in the days and weeks following the earthquake. Access roads were impassable - meaning that vital food and shelter provisions couldn’t be delivered in many areas. “The first week there was no help," Farah recalls. “We had no place to sleep but we knew a family who lived a little further away. We were allowed to sleep with them."

Yet any respite was fleeting after a fresh wave of new quakes and aftershocks struck north-west Syria. "When new earthquakes occurred it became too dangerous to be inside," Farah explains. "Now my parents, brothers, sister and I sleep in a tent. Every day and night."

"My fear of earthquakes is greater than my fear of war. I miss living in a safe house with electricity."

Claiming the right to education

Living in a tent was bad enough - but being unable to go to school was worse for Farah. "I couldn't go to school for a long time. I hated that - I was afraid I would fall behind," she explains. Today her situation is better - Farah attends regular lessons as part of War Child’s ‘Emergency Educational for All’ collaboration with UNICEF.

Farah is also able to access much-needed psychosocial support through our network of Safe Spaces - where children can come together to learn and play free from fear. “The sessions help me a lot,” Farah explains. “We play and laugh, which helps to release the tension and stress."

“I'm still afraid that there will be more earthquakes - but I already feel much better than before."