Mariam* has been working with us to document the deteriorating situation in Gaza. While living through the horrors of war herself, she dares to lift the stories of other Palestinian women.
As a displaced Palestinian woman, I do not know how to live anymore. Days have become incomprehensibly painful to the human mind. Life is fear, stress, worry, and mixed feelings – no smiles or laughs from the heart.
We are dominated by tears. I am like the rest of the women, in pain due to this horrible war. I lost my sister and her daughter. Our homes were destroyed, and we left without anything, only our IDs.
I was displaced more than one time. Every time was more painful than the other.
After my sister was killed, I decided to go back to work, to tell the stories of the suffering of women. I have been working for 12 years and my purpose is to be the voice of women.
I leave my shelter every day to visit the schools, tents, and hospitals – anywhere with displaced people. I leave my parents and daughter and my husband behind.
My husband lives in another area. Him and I meet after 12 at the beach in Deir El Balah so that I can transfer my content to my employers. We steal time to be together.
In the evening, I go back feeling torn from all the pain that I hear during the day – the sadness that covers the feelings of the displaced people. I speak to them about their pain.
Since the beginning of the war, my gray hair has increased significantly due to what I am experiencing.
All the conversations and words cannot express what we are living. However, I focus on my deep purpose to tell their stories. That’s what I wish to pursue, to get their messages to the world.
Hopefully, one day I will be able to represent the Palestinian women and tell their stories in international courts, be their support and make up to all what they are living.
Learn more about our work in Palestine.
*For security reasons, we are not using her real name. Header photo by Jakob Rubner on Unsplash.
