My name is Rita, and I am a 19-year-old student living in Toronto. When I immigrated to Canada eight years ago, I began a journey in a land that changed my life forever. Canada is a home that welcomed me, embraced me, and provided me with every opportunity that I never dared dream of before. But there are millions of people left in my country, Syria, who continue to suffer and fight for basic human rights every day.
Syria is currently in its 10th year of war. Ever since the beginning of the civil unrest in 2011, millions of innocent citizens were killed, tortured, forced to relocate, starved, and stripped out of almost every basic human right. Right now, there are over 9.3 million people who are food insecure in the country. That is more than half of the population, and this number is rising every single day.
Syria is suffering, and it is suffering in many unimaginable ways. Above 80% are below the poverty line, meaning that many families are forced to choose which kids they can feed every night. Over 6.5 million people are internally displaced and living in camps with very minimal supplies. Schools and hospitals were destroyed by bombings and airstrikes, and children were killed in several chemical attacks. Right now, the price of meat is too high for many families, and the economy is flatlining. In fact, the first positive COVID-19 case was just confirmed in Northwestern Syria, and the spread of this virus will cause very dire and disastrous conditions within the area.
With the rise of tensions during the revolution, my grandmother Nadia Khalouf was left with no option but to leave everything behind and embark on a life-threatening journey away from persecution. Despite old age and serious medical conditions, she remained resilient in the face of struggle and determined to find freedom in a foreign land. My Grandmother Nadia is a powerful short memoir that describes the heart-breaking and hopeful experiences of a refugee senior who survived in the sea, in jail, and in the hands of smugglers across Europe.
This memoir aims to spread awareness about the plight of refugees everywhere and fundraise for people left in Syria who really need help and support.
“This is an incredible, heartbreaking, and personal story of one woman’s refugee journey. After hearing so much about Syrian refugees in the news, reading this personal and emotional memoir was an eye-opening experience! A beautifully and well-written story by Nadia’s granddaughter Rita; although I knew Nadia would be safe in the end, reading the story had me on the edge of my seat. This is another very important part of history that we must not forget, and I highly recommend reading it!”
Where to Donate to Help Syria:
- Syria Relief and Development: https://srd.ngo/main_donation/
- The White Helmets: https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/
- Syria Emergency Task Force: https://www.syriantaskforce.org/donate
- Molham Volunteering Team: https://molhamteam.com/en/cases
Link to buy the book on Amazon, including reviews on the book (available in 10 other Amazon marketplaces):
https://www.amazon.ca/My-Grandmother-Nadia-Journey-Refugee-ebook/dp/B08BY1CHYX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=my+grandmother+nadia&qid=1595208290&sr=8-1
Link to a video that talks about the dire situation in Syria, the purpose of the book, and family receiving the donations (also available on my Instagram account as an IGTV):
https://youtu.be/Yj2d1sY_F8o