Sisters' Stories: How Khalsa moved on from trauma

With the devastating plight of Afghanistan at the top of every news agenda, the story of 50-year-old Syrian refugee Khalsa shows why the world must not ignore the millions being displaced and left to fend for themselves.

As one of the women supported by the Lotus Flower and our partners Khaima and Zarok, Khalsa knows plenty about the turmoil being experienced by the Afghan people. She and her family were living in Douma in Syria until the end of 2012, when they were trapped by bombings and fierce clashes between regime forces and the free army. Blockaded for six months, life was dangerous and extremely hard. The family had little water, electricity and food, and the area around their home had been completely destroyed.

Even worse, Khalsa’s young son was then taken from her. “For six months we had no idea where he was,” she says. “We then discovered that the regime forces had kidnapped him to participate in the war.” In 2014, the family were blackmailed into paying smugglers 1m Syrian pounds – approximately £1,500 – for his release. The family then escaped to safety in Kurdistan, where they were housed within Domiz 2 camp.

Though relieved to be out of harm’s way, life was far from easy in the camp – especially as Khalsa’s son suffered from terrible nightmares and flashbacks about his ordeals. “It was so difficult to see him struggle and made me very sad,” she says.

However, Khalsa then took the opportunity to take part in a series of projects at our women’s centre in the camp – including English language and literacy classes. This means she can now read and write for the first time in her life. She also signed up for awareness sessions on a range of issues such as women’s rights and gender-based violence, and through our sewing and knitting classes, discovered a brand new passion.

“I love making woollen garments for my grandchildren. It really improves my mood and wellbeing.” Khalsa also took part in one of our first aid courses, which means she can help those around her in the camp. “I learned all about thermometry, and now give injections to people living nearby.”

Although it's hard to fathom what women like Khalsa have been through, her courage in overcoming such huge upheaval over the years is a true inspiration – and her journey sums up exactly what the Lotus Flower stands for…