AMMAN, JORDAN
Tahani holding the keys to her home. Photo: British Red Cross/Andrew McConnel.
Tahani holds the keys to her home back in Syria. It is the only item she took with her when her family fled five years ago. They had been living in peace and were happy in a house that they had spent 20 years working towards owning. “We worked so hard to save money and build our house. We finally had it and then suddenly there was no home.”
The family fled Syria after their house was damaged in the fighting. Her eldest daughter lost her husband in the fighting. He died in front of their three-year-old daughter. She still remembers.
Tahani receives financial support from the Jordan Red Crescent. This helps her pay for bills, the rent and buy clothes for her children. “The cash means I’m free. If we didn’t have this cash I’d be in Zataari camp.”
Tahani Taha Al-Musalmani, 45, (center) pictured with (L-R) Amal (daughter, 24) Mohammed (grandson, 5) Seeba (granddaughter, 7) Hudeifa (son, 7), Hajaj (son, 11) and Hamza (son, 8), at their rented accommodation in Amman, Jordan. Photo: British Red Cross/Andrew McConnell.
The family never thought that they would still be in Jordan after five years. Tahani’s husband returned to Syria once he knew his family was safe. He wanted to go back and rebuild their home so that, when it was safe, they could return. They stayed in touch for a year but suddenly she stopped hearing from him; she has no contact with him now and doesn’t know if he’s dead or alive.