Um Muhannad: A Widowed Mother Struggling to Protect Five Children

I am a widowed mother of five children—three sons and two daughters—and I am doing everything I can to keep my family together after losing everything.

My husband was killed while seeking humanitarian aid. He went out hoping to bring food and relief to his children, but he never returned. In that moment, my children lost their father, and I lost my partner, my support, and the person who shared the weight of life with me.

Since his death, I have been left alone to care for our children under extremely harsh conditions. There is no stable income, no security, and no certainty about the future. Every day is a struggle to provide food, water, and basic necessities for my sons and daughters.

I try to be strong in front of my children, even when grief overwhelms me. I hide my tears so they don’t feel afraid. I comfort them when they ask about their father, even though my heart breaks each time.

Living as a widow in these circumstances means carrying every burden alone—hunger, fear, responsibility, and loss. Yet I wake up every morning for my children, determined to protect them and give them a sense of dignity, even in the hardest moments.

I am not asking for luxury or comfort.

I am asking for help to survive with dignity.

Your support can help provide food, medical care, and basic supplies, and ease the heavy burden on a mother raising five children alone after losing her husband.

Your kindness can bring hope back into the lives of my children—and remind them that they are not forgotten.

Thank you for standing with us.