Following the death of her father, thirteen year old Mariam (name changed for protection purposes), her mother and 11 brothers and sisters were forced to leave Syria. They moved to Turkey, where her mother remarried and left the children to be looked after by another of her husband’s relatives, who sexually harassed the children.
After three years of living under this relative’s roof, the earthquake struck in February 2023 and changed everything. After the earthquake, their mother returned to her children and took them to a care house in Hatay, Turkey.
Here, the family have been receiving mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) from our partner, Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). Mariam told the psychologist of her lack of confidence, hopelessness, difficulty sleeping, and self harm.
With the support of the team Mariam’s ability to have happy relationships with her family and peers has developed, her anger, nervousness, and anxiety following the earthquakes have reduced.
We are so proud to have supported this work, helping hundreds of children like Mariam.
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