Improving the self-subsistence for women headed Households and the resilience of children in the midst of conflict
Stories for Livestock: April & May /2021
Every day families have stories but the stories from Syria are different.
- Wafaa Muhammad Ali:
She has 28 years old , is a resident of the village of Northern Ora and one of the beneficiaries of livestock. Wafaa says: “I knew that my name was among those accepted by the livestock services through the lists that posted on walls and public places by KP’s team. I received 4 pregnant sheep and during May 2021 the number of my sheep increased to be 8. Our happiness can never be described in words. Since few months, I became a self-reliant and did not wait for people to pity me and my children. I get milk daily from sheep, which I sell yogurt and cheese sometimes and milk at other times. I use part to my family and sell the rest. Sheep is a blessing which we can benefit from like milk, its derivatives, wool and newborns. My children take fresh milk every day after it was difficult to give it to them during the past years”.
Wafaa adds “What a wonderful project, and how I wish all the women who are breadwinners to get what we got, as it is a generous source of livelihood and preserves women’s dignity”.
02 – Yusra Al-Mohammed
She is 40 years old, from the village of Northern Ora.
She says: “I support my mother and my four disabled sisters. I used to work on the farmland for long hours for a small wage that is not enough to buy the basic need of the house, and I was away from my family for a long time without anyone taking care of them.
Now that I benefited from sheep project and got four sheep, my sheep were born and their number increased to be 8 heads of sheep which helps me to feed my family and sell the extra milk to buy medicines. A while ago, I mowed sheep’s wool and I’m going to use the wool to make comfortable pillows for my family in the winter. My life changed upside down after my success in this project and I dreamed of a better tomorrow.
- Rahaf Al-Ismail:
Rahaf says: “I am 23 years old, displaced from Saraqib countryside, and I currently reside in the village of Northern Ora. I benefited from the livestock project and received 4 pregnant sheep. After days of work and follow-up, my sheep gave birth to triplets. I feel reassured every time the veterinary team visits me to check on the health of my sheep and their newborns. During the project, I received 2 cycles of fodder to feed the sheep. The technical veterinary team vaccinated the sheep against some diseases for 2 cycles which helped me very much in taking care of my sheep. I take sheep daily to graze in the neighboring pastures and I hope to be a pioneer in the field of sheep care in the next few years and pass on my successful experience to other women in my village”.
- Shamsa Albarki:
She displaced from Saraqib since 2 years.
She says: “My husband is disabled. I have four daughters. I live in a small shelter in the village of Kreiz. My husband can not work because of his disability and we have no source of income. We were waiting for the relief basket to survive, and my children always slept hungry. She adds “I applied to benefit from the livestock project and I was one of the selected beneficiaries, God willing. At the beginning of the project, I received four pregnant sheep, and I took care of them until they were born, and I had four new sheep, which brought happiness and joy to the hearts of my family. Directly, I started milking my sheep, feeding my children, and selling extra milk to the shops in the area. The delay of relief basket does not worry me, as I have my own project near my husband and children, and our life has changed for better.
- Hanadi Shehadi Al-Ahmad:
Hanadi is 24 years old from the Northern Ora village and has four children. She is the only breadwinner of her family.
Hanadi says “I tried repeatedly to find a job, but to no avail because of the unstable conditions and lack of job opportunities. After we were rich in our homes and had sheep and fields, today we find it difficult to secure the most basics need which forced me to cook one meal a day. After I was almost in despair, I heard about the livestock project and applied to have sheep and I think this is the best job opportunity for women in my case can get.
She adds” I started working in my house and next to my children. I still remember the happiness of my children when my first sheep gave birth to beautiful twin sheep. Now I have nine sheep, from their milk I make yogurt and cheese for my children after they were deprived of milk for several years, and I sell the extra in the area market. Thank you too much and I hope that all the women who are breadwinner for their families will have a great job opportunity like me”.
