An almost 10-year-long crisis in Syria has affected much of the country’s population. Many have been killed or displaced, fleeing to avoid the fighting. Others, like 66-year-old Fiya Hassan and her family, lost their homes and livelihoods. Fiya’s house was burned down during armed clashes, but she couldn’t bear to leave her homeland: the memories of happier times, with her children growing up in her backyard were just too strong. Instead, she and her family rebuilt the destroyed parts of their house and decided to stay, hoping for a better future.
Fiya is the head of her household and a grandmother of eight, living in the Ibtaa sub-district in southwest Syria. She had always relied on farming to generate a proper income, as well as provide food for her family. But since the conflict started in 2011, obtaining the necessary agricultural inputs has become increasingly tough due to the ongoing violence, the economic crisis and the fluctuating currency rate. These problems have prevented thousands of farmers like Fiya from being able to sustain their livelihoods.