When Raneem arrived in Türkiye three years ago, she carried with her both loss and hope. After her father – a prominent anaesthetist in Deir ez-Zor – died from COVID-19 in 2020, life in Syria became unbearable. Her mother left for Türkiye soon after, and Raneem stayed behind with her brother to finish her physiotherapy studies.

“I always dreamed of becoming a doctor,” she recalls. “But because of the war, it was impossible to travel. Movement was restricted, and people were detained for defying the rules.”

Before leaving Syria, Raneem spent several years assisting her parents at the hospital where they both worked. With few staff and an overwhelming number of patients, the hospital became a place of constant learning — far beyond what she ever imagined.

“My father taught me to bandage and stitch wounds, administer anaesthetic, and care for patients. Other doctors showed me how to assist during complex surgeries. My mother, an obstetrician, taught me how to help deliver babies — sometimes under the most difficult conditions. I also learned to make and fit prosthetic limbs for the many people who had lost theirs to the war.”

Those experiences shaped her path.

“I’ve always loved children,” Raneem says, “but after seeing so many suffer during the conflict – children born in hardship, children who lost limbs – I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to helping them.”

In Türkiye, Raneem found that opportunity with Ummah Care Foundation. The organisation provides a centre in Şanlıurfa that offers free therapy for Syrian children, many living with cerebral palsy and other physical challenges.

“It’s an incredible place,” she says. “We help children move, play, and grow stronger — but we also help their families heal. The centre has become a space of connection. Parents share their stories, support one another, and have rebuilt a sense of community, just like we used to have in Syria.”

For Raneem, this work is deeply personal.

“When I speak with families, they know I understand,” she says. “I’ve been through the same pain, seen the same things, and lost the same way. That connection helps us move forward — together.”

RANEEM AL MOHAMMED

PHYSIOTHERAPIST