Gaining Strength After Losing Everything: The Story of an All-Girl Escape
Published: July 25, 2024
On the floor beside me sits a translator and her daughter, who is interested in journalism. Across from us is Hanaa, the mother of Najwa and Sayida, from Aden, Yemen.
Hanaa’s father altered her birth certificate to make her two years older, intending to marry her off sooner. Despite always being dealt the worst hands, this family has developed a newfound strength that shines through their smiles, personalities, and goals.
Married at 16, Hanaa was the sole provider for her family in Yemen, as her husband was physically unable to work. She served elderly people after completing high school. Coming from a large family, she wanted to carry on that tradition and had four children of her own.
The girls expressed a profound love for the natural beauty of Yemen, which quickly faded when their mother found herself using a mattress to shield them from explosions. In 2015, the bombing was replaced by gunfire. Najwa, the eldest daughter, remembers walking down the street as two men opened fire before a car drove up and exploded.
Adding fuel to the fire, Najwa, attending school only for exams, witnessed a stabbing that led to murder right in front of her. Her mother explained how she was completely silent for six days, shocked and disturbed. To this day, she cannot handle the sight of blood.
After divorcing her husband and one month after the stabbing incident, Hanaa and Najwa left for Jordan in late 2023 to receive better healthcare, leaving behind her three other children. Hanaa spent days encouraging Najwa to go outside and begin her mental recovery. Najwa was able to come to Jordan on a medical visa granted by the Yemeni government.
Sayida expressed that she fell into deep sadness as she longed for her mother for nine months while staying with her grandmother. For the past 16 years, Sayida has dealt with epileptic attacks and kidney problems. She eventually was also granted a medical visa, which allowed her to reunite with her mother and sister. Following her were the two other siblings.
Hanaa expressed that one of the biggest challenges upon arriving was concealing her struggle to provide for her children. Najwa and Sayida thrive academically and have a love for learning. Najwa is studying languages at a local university and hopes to travel to America or India to work at an embassy. Sayida hopes to become a dentist.
The family avoids watching news from their home country and focuses on the present. They maintain their traditions and integrate them into their new lives in the bustling city of Amman.
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