THE MOTHER CLEARING SYRIA'S BOMBS

Seba is thirty four years old and lives in Idleb city with her husband and two young children, Mustafa, age seven and Bechir, just five years old. Before the war, life was very different. Seba was a graduate in agricultural engineering, working in a science research centre near her home village of Joba and planning to pursue a masters degree and doctorate. Then in 2016, the conflict reached Joba and fear took over Seba’s life. The village suffered frequent shelling and Seba was terrified for her two young sons—though she tried to be strong and hide her fear. Finally in 2020, the family were forced to flee, taking refugee in Idleb City.

The move has torn apart the family’s life. Bechir keeps asking when they can return to Joba, the only home he has ever known. They miss the open space for the children to play and their family and friends who are now scattered far and wide. For Seba’s husband, it has been hard to secure work in his role as an Arabic teacher. Many families have fled to the city and there are not enough jobs to go around.

Children are innately curious, they love to explore and play with what they find. But in Syria, this can cost them their life. Streets, fields and playgrounds are no longer safe. Years of fighting have left lethal explosives in the rubble, or buried in the ground. For Seba, creating a safe future for children is vital. In 2020, she joined HALO’s risk education team, targeting the most vulnerable groups in areas that had been heavily shelled during the conflict with life-saving lessons, as well as educating her family and friends. Once, as she was visiting a friend with her family, she caught her children playing in rubble nearby. She started shouting so they would go to safety and then she explained how dangerous it was to play in areas that had been shelled before.

In 2022, Seba transferred to HALO’s non-technical survey team, travelling around northwest Syria to identify and mark explosives that had been found or reported and warning people of the dangers. For Seba, working so closely with the explosives was both impressive and scary, but she knew from her training, it was this fear and respect that would keep her safe.

A few months later, Seba had the opportunity to join HALO’s first explosive disposal team in Idleb. For her, it was the next logical step and reflected her personality: “Disposing of hazards comes right after teaching people how to stay safe and identifying hazardous items. After I had the survey and disposal training, I felt more confident.” This is the very first time it has been possible for HALO to destroy dangerous explosives in northwest Syria—life-saving work that would not have been possible without support from the players of People's Postcode Lottery.

Seba is working in a sector traditionally dominated by men in her country. But she loves that her role as a women destroying bombs makes her unique and that she is having an important impact on people’s lives. Seba also explains how having women in this role is vital. In the communities the teams visit, women often feel more comfortable speaking to other women rather than men. Her presence allows them to have a voice, express their needs and share vital information. Within the team, she says, women and men work together and are treated equally. Her husband and family are also very supportive. Mustafa keeps asking to come and watch them dispose of the explosives and watches the demolition videos on his mum’s phone.

In northwest Syria, most of the explosive ordnance destroyed by the team is located in agricultural areas, endangering farmers and preventing them from accessing and cultivating their land. Seba remembers a farmer that asked them for help as he was desperate to get rid of a mortar on his land. The day after meeting him, the team came to the village and destroyed the explosive. She recalls: “You could see the happiness in his eyes after we disposed of the mortar.”

As she looks to the future, Seba wants to continue to grow her role at HALO. But most of all she hopes for a stable life, safe and without poverty. Safety and security are more important than anything else. She hopes that her children will grow and live a life without fear. Their childhood has been difficult, growing up in an environment with war and displacement. Seba wants them to study, find a job they like, and most importantly, be happy.

With the support of players of People's Postcode Lottery, Seba and her colleagues can continue to bring safety to families in Syria.