Amina - Resettlement

“We left Syria because my husband was killed and my son was badly burned when a bomb exploded on our house. For two years I have supported my children in Turkey.  I sometimes found work sewing here, but I was lucky to receive support from the local Turkish community.  They showed me true generosity.” 

“We are excited to move to Norway.  I want to work, definitely, but the first thing I must do when I get there is to help my son find good medical treatment. When the bomb exploded on our house, he was very badly burned.  He cannot open his mouth.  He cannot eat properly.  I have to feed him small spoonfuls of broth so he can eat. He had three surgeries in Turkey, but none were successful. I love him so much, but it has been hard on all of us. I am so tired.” 

“In Norway, I want my kids to go to school.  It’s time they all went back to school.  I have a 16 year old daughter who went to school up to 5th grade in Syria. But because of the trauma, forgot some of the most basic things.  She doesn’t even know how to write her name anymore.”

“What do I want most from a life in Norway?  A place to raise my children where they are safe and where they feel safe. I want my son to receive medical care and for all of my children to receive an education so that they will have a better life than I have had.”

Amina was one of the 200 Syrians living in Turkey who were selected for resettlement in Norway. Two years ago, Amina fled Aleppo for Turkey with her six children (ages 16 to 4 years old).