Syria? There is no more Syria

(Versión en español)

Report made with the support of Intermón Oxfam

Refugees: how a war destroys a life

The blades on the fan Seif had at his side are stationary. It gives the sensation that they are paralyzed by the immense heat. In an overwhelm paradox feels like its stillness is increasing the stifling sensation. The more you look at it, the more this damn fan stays there unshakeable, with its orange petrified blades, unaware of the humid scorcher . It is like a provocation. Its owner explained: “It has been days ago since the cut of the electricity because I couldn’t pay for it, so we have it only from time to time now. It’s off at the moment. I’m sorry but I can’t turn it on.” Seif is drying the sweat of his face.

Before he posses s a useless fan, Seif Dabbur, Syrian, 49 years old, married with 3 children, had an air-conditioned house in Al Tadamu, a medium-classed residential neighborhood in the outskirts of Damascus. “Many nights here in this land I relive my own past live: here watching television on my sofa with my wife while my children are playing outside. Now I have to sleep on the floor. “ Seif is one of the millions of people that the Syrian war has destroyed his life. One of the millions who only a few months ago was sitting on his sofa watching television and now he lives in refugees camp fighting to obtain some sedatives tan can make him rest. “I decided to leave my house for a battle than took place in my neighborhood. They started shooting, launching missiles and destroying the whole neighborhood. They were saying the important is the war and not just one battle, but in reality the battles were much more important. If a battle takes place in your part of town you have to go and then remain homeless.” Seif ran away from his on some day last December at 5 a.m. “I was hearing the buzzing of the bullets. Days afterwards they told the whole building collapsed. ” He took with him his wife Rarj and his 3 children, Lulu – 7 years old, Mohamed and Hamoudi – 6 and 8 years old and big fans of Real Madrid. “If you ask them what they prefer, to eat or to watch a Real Madrid’s game, they would choose the game. Even though they have to stay hungry for the rest of the day.”, explained his father smiling. “Day by day they understand they can no more have what they had. When they ask me for money and I say no they express themselves by going around the flat saying that they are making me small arab springs”, and Seif was laughing again.