Omar's Tale - One Hand To Fight

Date: 2025-06-24

In a quiet corner of a Syrian camp, the sun rises over a sea of tents and caravans, dust swirling around bare feet. A man in his early thirties stands outside his tent, cradling his daughter with one arm, the only one the war left him. His face is calm, marked by exhaustion, but his eyes carry something stronger than pain: determination. Once a construction worker with a modest but stable life, everything changed in an instant during the war. His losses are immense, but his will remains unbroken. Omar wakes each morning with one goal: to keep his family standing with just one hand… and an unshakable heart.

Omar with his daughters living his routine days, - Azaz, Syria, May 2025 © ADIB ABOKHORS – WHH

In a displacement camp called Dar Alsroor near Yahmul, northern Syria, Omar begins his day seeking any small opportunity to feed his family and obtain the requirement to survive. Before the war, he built homes with precision and pride. But in 2014, a sudden airstriksse stole his right arm, damaged the other, and shattered the life he had spent years building. His town, Deir Hafer, was reduced to ruins and so was his sense of security.

“I used to build homes with both hands,” he says, voice steady but eyes heavy. “Now, I’m just trying to hold my life together with one.”

Work in the camp is scarce, and for someone with limited mobility, nearly impossible. The few jobs he finds barely cover a loaf of bread. Medicine is out of reach. Clean water is a daily expense they can hardly afford. School supplies for his four daughters? A distant luxury.

Omar selecting his needs of food items, Azaz, Syria, May 2025 © ADIB ABOKHORS – WHH

A vital turning point came when he was enrolled in a food voucher program for eight months, implemented by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). The $65 monthly voucher didn’t erase the hardships, but it eased their weight.

“It may not solve everything,” Omar says, “but it’s really helped us survive the worst days. It gave me back a moment of peace.”

Peace, but not permanence. His prosthetic hand is failing. His daughters still wake demanding some sweeties some mornings. And the road back to his home remains blocked not only by war’s destruction but by poverty as relentless as the conflict itself.

Still, Omar stands tall.