Amal's Morning | Refugee Week 2025
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Amal's Morning
Amal wakes up at 7am. She looks over at her daughter Lina, sleeping on the cold floor beside her. She runs her hand through Lina’s hair. She wishes she could protect her.
Lina will be awake soon, and Amal will braid her hair, just like her own mother used to do. It's something so small, but it’s also tradition. A way of holding on to normalcy.
Amal looks up at the ceiling. It's still leaking. She hears children coughing around her. She wishes she could protect them all. They remind her of the children she used to teach back home. She hopes they’re doing ok.
All the mothers around her hold their children tight, even while sleeping. She knows the feeling – they will always do their best to protect their children, even after losing everything.
"Noor..." she whispers as her eyes fill with tears, wondering what happened to her sister and little nephew. She hopes they made it somewhere safe. She can’t bear to think about them for too long – the pain takes over her entire body. But at the same time, she can’t stop. They're the only family she has left.
Her stomach rumbles, interrupting her thoughts. She clutches it, trying to cover the noise. What else can she do when food is so little? She prays that there’ll be more food today. She doesn’t want Lina to go hungry.
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