Nedaa bij een soep distributie in Aleppo

‘I have to be strong to help my people’

Nedaa Muhimed had just joined ZOA in Syria three weeks before the violent earthquake hit her city, Aleppo. Since then, she has committed herself wholeheartedly to provide emergency aid to her fellow townspeople. “The fact that I’ve gone through the same experience motivates me to give my very best.”

22 June 2023

Nedaa: emergency aid worker in her own city

‘I believe tomorrow will be better’

With her 32 years of age, Nedaa Muhimed has been through a lot. Twelve years of conflict, a corona pandemic and now a violent earthquake. “We don't have time to catch our breath,” she heard a fellow townsman say when Aleppo got the final blow early February. “That sentence broke my heart. It motivates me to give everything I have.”

Nedaa had only been employed by ZOA for three weeks when the earthquake of 6 February 2023 devastated her city. Her city, of which so little was left after twelve years of conflict. After a family visit, she returned to Damascus on Sunday, where she had moved for her new office job at ZOA. Less than 24 hours later, she woke up to the shaking of her bed.

“I thought I was dreaming,” she says. “But when I opened my eyes, my bed was still moving.” Soon she received messages via WhatsApp from her parents and two brothers in Aleppo: they were safe. Her four other brothers, who live in Turkey, were also unharmed.

Despair

“I didn't immediately realize the magnitude of this disaster,” she says. “In Damascus, we didn't feel the earthquake that strong.” A day later she was on her way to Aleppo to support her ZOA colleague there, regional manager Wael Abboudi, in setting up emergency aid. Together with local partners, they immediately started distributing jerry cans and food from shelters.

Meanwhile, Nedaa's family stayed in the garden next to the mosque, fearing the collapse of their house. “Fortunately, they were able to return after three days,” says Nedaa. “An engineer checked the house and it turned out to be safe enough.” Their neighbours didn't dare to go back. Two of their relatives were missing. Two days after the disaster, they were pulled alive from under the rubble.

When a second earthquake hit the area on February 20, Nedaa and her family had to flee their home again. She spent a night outside, among crying, frightened townspeople who were close to despair.

The next morning, Nedaa went straight back to work. “When you find yourself in such a situation, it motivates you to give your best,” she says. “I have to be strong to help my fellow townspeople. If you are weak, you cannot work.”

Cash

More than four months after the earthquake, Nedaa has only just returned to her office in Damascus. In Aleppo, ZOA now focuses mainly on providing emergency aid with cash, which people can spend on what they need most. “That works very well,” says Nedaa. “One may need food, but the other medicine.”

In addition, ZOA is working on an inventory of the damage to houses in collaboration with local engineers. Eligible people can also receive cash for restoring their homes.

Nedaa is grateful for the role she has been able to play in supporting her fellow townspeople. Before the war, she never thought she would ever work as an aid worker. “I studied mechanical engineering,” she says.

She was able to finish her studies in the part of the city that was controlled by the government. When she started working as a volunteer for a local aid organisation, Nedaa discovered that humanitarian work suits her well.

Gift

“My parents are always eager to help other people,” she says. “They gave me that gift.” Nedaa's mission is to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people. “I want to see a smile on their faces.”

Despite everything, she remains hopeful for the future of Syria. “I am optimistic,” she says. “I believe tomorrow will be better. That also motivates me to keep going.”