Yana

Chilled literally to the bone, Yana carried her 4 year old brother out of the raft and onto shore. She never thought they’d make it, especially when the Greek Coast Guard aimed its guns and menacingly threatened to pop the inflatable raft. Syria seemed a million miles away. The texture and smell of concrete rubble forever set into her memory, Yana had used this to her advantage. It was the driving force that had helped her find courage to make possible the impossible. But now, she suddenly was overwhelmed. She fell shoulder-first onto the beach, unable to carry Hani any further. Only months before, she had carried him for hours upon her back during daily chores or simply in play. Now, she collapsed and prayed that finally, finally they were safe.

Months earlier and after the bombing of their home, Yana and Hani were taken to the nearby medical unit. Dazed and emotionally broken, Yana listened to the news that her mother, father, and younger twin sisters had been killed in the blast. Despair filled her heart as the realization that only she and Hani had survived. As his older sister, she was now solely responsible for his survival and future. The radio reported news of the bombing- Syria had been targeted by the United States, Britain and France. The Western powers decided to strike in response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons on civilians in Damascus. Yana’s mind tuned out as the reports continued. She was too young to understand about governments. She was too scared to care about who was right. She was too broken to feel anything but anxiety and panic at the thought of how she was going to move forward. She knew only that she had to do so- with and for Hani.

After weeks of running, hiding and clawing for food, Yana and Hani had crawled out of their Syrian homeland, through Turkish country, and ended up in the hands of smugglers. Sneaking thousands of Syrian refugees out of Turkey into Greece had proved very lucrative for these predators. This was easy money and whether or not the refugees made it across the choppy waters was really of no concern; the smugglers received their pay at the outset of the voyage. Twice, Yana had been propositioned for more than money and both times only narrowly did she escape raw victimization. She knew now that dignity was not something owned but merely leased, a virtue able to be stolen from a woman at any time.

The icy water lapping at her cheek awoke Yana from her temporary trance. Frantically, she pulled herself up and felt her heart seize as she spotted a young boy in a red shirt and blue shorts lying face down on the beach. Unable to move or to scream, Yana flung her body in the direction of the boy. “Not Hani, please not Hani, too.” Wrapped in a nightmare designed by the devil, Yana could only let out a moan, a sound of black despair.

“Einai entáxei.” “It eez ok,” said the voice. “Your brozer eez ok.”

Yana felt hands lift her. A clatter of voices swarmed around her as she caught sight of Hani being carried to a tent. Her body went limp with relief. As the darkness enveloped her, she fell away to the hope that soon, they would be able to rest. Soon.

Since the Syrian civil war officially began March 15, 2011, families have suffered under a brutal conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, torn the nation apart, and set back the standard of living by decades. Today 13.1 million people in the country need humanitarian assistance.

Healthcare centers and hospitals, schools, utilities, and water and sanitation systems are damaged or destroyed. Historic landmarks and once-busy marketplaces have been reduced to rubble.

War broke the social and business ties that bound neighbors to their community. Millions scattered, creating the largest refugee and displacement crisis of our time. More than 5.6 million Syrians have fled the country as refugees; 6.1 million are displaced within Syria. Half of those affected (and traumatized) are children.

Organizations Helping Syria:

UNICEF

UNHCR

Additional Organizations

Yana

Recent Posts