Born in Aleppo, Syria, Fatma was only three years old when she fell ill with a high fever. With hospitals destroyed by bombing and doctors left without medicine or equipment, her family had to travel for hours in search of help. Trapped for weeks in a hospital under siege, and later taken to Damascus by her grandmother, it was already too late. Fatma suffered irreversible damage, leaving her with cerebral palsy.

“My daughter was so smart and beautiful. Then one day she couldn’t control her body, she was paralysed.”
— Nadia, Fatma’s mother

As the war escalated, Nadia made the heartbreaking decision to flee Aleppo with her four children. They travelled for three days under the cover of night, leaving behind everything they knew.

“The bombing was relentless. We had no money, and I was so afraid for my children.”

The family eventually found refuge in Turkey, where millions of Syrians have sought safety. Six years later, Nadia describes the moment Ummah Care Foundation opened its community centre in Sanliurfa as life-changing:

“When Ummah Care Foundation opened its doors to us, we found community here. So many mothers are in my position, with children who struggle with their health and movement. My life was finished in Syria, but now we have real help from wonderful people who care.”