Sumeyya* is a Syrian refugee living in Türkiye with her husband and 14 children, including 4 of her aunt’s children that she now cares for.
“Six years ago, we fled to Türkiye due to the crisis in Syria,” Sumeyya told Islamic Relief as she collected a Ramadan food voucher for her aunt’s children.
“Their father died in Syria in an attack and their mother got breast cancer and unfortunately passed away 2 years after arriving in Türkiye. I am the one who takes care of the children [now].
“My husband works at a bazaar and 2 of my nephews are also working. So, altogether, we are trying to live on.
“[During Ramadan] my small children and nephews go outside to play. When they want to eat something, I prepare it for iftar and 16 of us sit all together at 1 dinner table… I have to cook in a very huge pan for the crowd.
“This food voucher is useful for us. We can take sugar, rice and other kinds of food. The amount is good.”
Supplying food to Syrians at home and abroad
Sumeyya is one of almost 30,000 Syrian refugees living in Türkiye who received food from Islamic Relief last Ramadan.
Our food distributions also reached more than 70,000 people within Syria in 2022, helping ease the burden on families affected by the ongoing crisis.
