My family and I live in a crowded neighborhood in Homs, which was subjected to many painful events during the war. This led to a lot of damage to the houses and infrastructure. We did not leave, we stayed in our house despite everything that happened, including the worst day of our lives, when our daughter Jana got injured in the head by a shrapnel.

She was four at the time, and we could not afford surgery to treat her injury. The injury led her to develop a speech disorder and pronunciation problems, and to spend several months without hair at all. This led to the deterioration of her psychological condition and overall wellbeing.

We first learnt about the Child Friendly Space because they were offering music therapy and we registered Jana. The musical therapist in the center in turn felt that Jana needed to receive more psychosocial support and suggested she starts attending the full program of the center. We, as a family, approached the center with this request, and it was a great opportunity for us.