From Refugee to Vaccinator: the Story of Feria

Protecting children in Iraq from polio

Iraqi Kurdistan, March 20, 2014 – It is early morning in Gawilan refugee camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Feria, 31 years old, readies herself for the day`s work. She is one of the many refugees who fled violence in Syria to find shelter in neighbouring Iraqi Kurdistan. She left Damascus 18 months ago with her husband and two young sons, aged seven and nine, when the levels of violence became unbearable. Back home in Syria she was a social worker, helping the poorest people of her neighbourhood.

“When I arrived in this camp, the NGOs and the UN agencies took good care of me and of my sons”, she said. “I received food, shelter and support. It was not the comfort which I was used to in Damascus, but it was enough for us to survive the cold winter. Nevertheless, seeing these aid workers helping people like us, I wanted to be one of them.”

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