The story of Hibe: providing for her family

“I came to Turkey 5 months ago with my 2 children and my little sister,” says Hibe, a 28-year-old Syrian woman from Eastern Ghouta, Damascus. “I was working there as a midwife. Then, one day, my husband died.” After the loss of her husband, Hibe decided to come to Turkey, leaving her mother and father behind in Damascus.

Once in Turkey, Hibe tried to find a job and learn Turkish, but she had no luck in her search. “One of my sisters lives in Germany. She supports us but it is not enough for us,” she explains. Then a good friend informed her about WHO’s new training programme for the provision of home care to older and disabled Syrians living in Turkey. Hibe joined the training to become a community health support worker helping to reach patients with limited mobility directly in their homes.

“It is a great opportunity for me because I already know how to take care of patients,” she explains. “In the trainings, I even helped my other friends. I love helping people.”

This project is funded by the German Federal Government through KfW Development Bank.