Ashes of Us

Scholars in the field of Psychology in general and mental health in specific have discussed the significant impact that war triggers on the general demography.

Looking back at my former career years in the community services unit at UNHCR in my mother-land Syria, I vividly recall the immense suffering of the beloved Iraqi refugees who fled to Syria due to war. The psychological distress on the refugees and their families extended as well to the Iraqi community, resulting in a prevalence of mental health challenges.

I used to often get asked from my personal surroundings ‘how does it feel’ when conducting psychosocial support (PSS) assessments for the refugees. I was one of the leads of the PSS team at the community services unit and oversaw the implications of victims of torture, traumatized children, abused women and much more. I have learnt that the cost of war is unlimited to one aspect. The effect of war is genderless- it greatly affects women and men. It’s ageless as well- it abuses children, young individuals and elderlies.

What’s even more aggravating is that many refugees of war suffer savagery in countries they move to, in which many of these fled-to countries do not make it easy for the refugees to blend in.

Back then, my answer to the question that I often get asked about ‘how does it feel’, was that it was tough! listening to the refugees' stories has emotionally drained me and I had to accordingly assign the type of community services assistance each case was eligible to. Having said this, there was a turning point within this context that is worth revealing. I remember telling my mother this, several, several times: ‘Imagine that we Syrians go through what the Iraqis went through! Imagine us being refugees one day! How tough that can be!’.

Syria had its share of war. A war that targeted the general population probably more than the country’s territories for almost 14 years. On December 8th- 2024, Syria was reborn. Syria was liberated from the remnants and fragments of war. However, this rebirth carries deep wounds within it. The wounds of every Syrian person, extending from every person to the whole Syrian society.

As an advocate for psychosocial support, I find it hard to remain silent during this historic transformation of Syria. You see, there is an underlying effect of this transformation and victory. There are hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have suffered emotionally, psychologically and financially for Syria to be liberated from war fragments. War triggers consequences on mental, emotional, financial and psychological levels. In times of war, everyone in the community gets affected. Not only the ones who lost their loved ones, or the ones who stayed in Syria and suffered the extreme hard living conditions, but also the ones who fled outside Syria in hope to seek a safe zone and home in host countries.

It is therefore vital not to ignore the echos Sada (صَدى) of every Syrian’s story and memory that has been shaped by war. Whether it’s the echo of the Syrians who became permanent residents at war camps, the Syrians who fled to the European countries and tried to create a new home, the Syrians who have been deprived of basic life essentials such as food and shelter, and the Syrians who stayed in Syria and endured the vast change between pre-war and post-war eras, bearing the constant fear of explosions around them and the absence of safety.

The Sada (echo) صَدى of each of these voices and experiences matters. All these experiences have one thing in common; a longing to home.

Through psychosocial support, we as a community can absorb the echos of the victims of war’s dark experiences. As a community, we can use these echos to help the individuals rise from war ashes. Because our stories matter. Because our mental health matters. And because, we matter.

Written by Zeina Alroumani