Syria’s Woman of Hope

by Beckypublished on 18th June 2021
Al Jazeera Close Up. As one of a few female mental health professionals in Syria’s Idlib province, Abeer al-Faris has her work cut out for her. Every day, she gets up at the crack of dawn to manage the Dar al-Amal Education Village, an independent care centre for widows and orphans of war. The Village is one of a few sanctuaries in Atmeh, a small but growing town in northern Idlib, where residents receive free healthcare, education and counseling. But managing a mental health facility in a warzone, as Abeer explains, is not for the faint hearted. As well as a lack of funding, resources and skilled personnel, Abeer also has to battle conservative opinions on her work. “The biggest difficulty has been getting around without a male guardian,” she says, “I’ve tried to persuade them that there’s no religious objection for women to work but it’s hard for society to accept this view.” After years of civil war in Syria, Idlib is the last remaining rebel-held territory in the country. Ongoing violence throughout 2020, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes to IDP camps in northern Idlib, compounding the already disastrous humanitarian situation. And residents are facing a critical lack of access to quality primary health care – especially mental health services. According to The World Health organisation, one in thirty people suffer from severe mental health conditions. “Behind each of these doors, there’s a story of tragedy,” Abeer admits, “But it’s also a story of hope,” she says, smiling.

Up Next

till_we_meet_again_star
A young writer, dependent on the love of his life Joanna (Linnea Larsdotter), argues and split up in the unfamiliar country of Thailand. Landing in paradise, cross-cutting back to the main character’s past life in New York. Watch Johan Matton as Erik.
marriage-for-sale
Marriages of convenience, or sham weddings, are an illegal way of obtaining residency and citizenship in Europe countries and elsewhere. This film meets men and women who marry - or plan to marry - people they hardly know, with the sole objective of obtaining European residency for one of them.
Back-Fork-film
Trailer for the drama, Back Fork. Once a hardworking family-man, Waylon now struggles to hold his life together after an unbearable tragedy. 
senegal-sinking-villages
Al Jazeera investigates Senegal's Sinking Villages. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 200 million people will be displaced by 2050 due to shoreline erosion, coastal flooding and agricultural disruption.
judo-for-peace
Al Jazeera Close Up Documentary. Judo for Peace in the Central African Republic.
non-eq-star
Stacy and Michael dream of being in a Broadway musical, but it's not an easy life being a non-union (Non-Eq) actor.
Be the first to comment “Syria’s Woman of Hope”

There are no comments yet.