Begging for help in Damascus

Begging for help in Damascus

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Shahrour, 54, developed diabetes at the beginning of the war in Syria.

When the siege of Arbeen, in the suburbs of Damascus, began, this led to a lack of insulin. That caused his medical condition to worsen and his right foot was amputated.

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

“Before the (war began), I could support my extended family by working as a driver,” Shahrour said. “As the war worsened, I lost my job and my health deteriorated, which made me unable to work and provide a living for my children.”

Shahrour recently suffered a stroke that paralysed half his face and made him lose vision in his right eye.

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

He, his wife, young daughter, four sons, their wives and his seven grandchildren all live in the same house: a total of 18 people.

One son, 24, has chronic asthma. He also cannot work because of his deteriorating health.

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

“What terrifies me most is that I am no longer able to buy the medication needed for me and my son, or if one of my children or grandchildren falls ill, God forbid,” Shahrour said.

His other two daughters, both married, live in their own homes.

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

“Two days ago when my pregnant daughter went to hospital in the city of Douma, she needed a drug which was not available in the hospital. I had to find a solution, and I did not have the money to buy the prescription…” He broke down in tears.

While his youngest daughter Hadeel, 10, begged passersby in Douma for help, many people stopped to ask about their situation, but most had no money to give them.

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh
Khouloud, Shahrour's 6-month-old granddaughter, is seen crying in the courtyard of her grandfather's home.

In the end, a man helped them pay for the prescription.

Medication for the father and son costs about $15 a month. The family cannot always raise that because the income of those in work varies each day.

“All my children are barely able to fill their children's mouths” after they lost their businesses and now work on daily rates, he said. “If a day passes and they don't find work, they cannot afford to buy food for their children.”

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

His daughter Hadeel remains determined to go to school despite the risks and the shelling.

“I want to become a teacher in future, but I got delayed in my studies,” she said. “I couldn't go to school last year because of the shelling.”

When I arrived at Shahrour's home, Hadeel was at school. As soon as she returned, she ran to her father in his wheelchair, embraced him and kissed his hands.

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

She told me later that she loves her father very much and that when he gets money, he will buy her coloured pens instead of her pencils that are wearing out.

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Shahrour explained how the family copes in winter.

“We couldn't buy firewood,” he said. “My children would collect some during the day which would burn in one hour on a long cold winter's night. When the weather got too cold, we burnt the old cotton pillows we had at home.”

. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Shahrour, seen here preparing firewood for heating, thinks he and his family should flee their town, and also leave Syria. But he knows that the situation is no better outside, he said.

What’s more, he cannot afford to shoulder the financial burdens he may face while fleeing and living outside Syria.

He and his family have no option but to stay, hoping for a breakthrough to solve their crisis and that of many others in the same situation.

(Editing by Brian McGee)

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Slideshow

Atef, 2, Shahrour's grandson, stands in the courtyard of his grandfather's home.
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Atef, 2, Shahrour's grandson, stands in the courtyard of his grandfather's home.

Shahrour washes his hands at his home.
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Shahrour washes his hands at his home.

Hadeel walks with a coffee tray at her home.
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Hadeel walks with a coffee tray at her home.

Shahrour looks at his daughter Hadeel inside their home.
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Shahrour looks at his daughter Hadeel inside their home.

Cups of coffee stand on a tray.
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Cups of coffee stand on a tray.

Shahrour tries to get into his wheelchair.
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Shahrour tries to get into his wheelchair.

Shahrour's wheelchair stands inside his home.
. Damascus, SYRIA. Reuters/Bassam Khabieh

Shahrour's wheelchair stands inside his home.