SOOHÊR EL-ÎDLİBÎ

Idlib -Many medicinal plants and flowers grow in the city of Idlib and its rural areas in spring. Women and children living in the refugee camps in Idlib have collected medicinal plants and daisy leaves and sold them at a low price to make a living. These plants are sold more than expensive chemical-containing medicines in the region.

“I make a living by collecting these plants”

30-year-old Firyal El-Hac Nasan is a forcibly displaced woman, who had to leave her village named Muntef and lives in the Karama refugee camp in Idlib. She has collected medicinal plants in the plains of Idlib with her 8-year-old son. “After my husband died in a traffic accident at the end of 2020, I had to work to raise my five children. In the first month of spring, I collect the plants before they bloom. After I collect them, I first wash them and then sell them to grocery stores and pharmacies. I collect two or three kilos of plants every day. Children in the camp also collect plants and flowers and sell them to support their families,” she told NuJINHA.

She collects lily flowers

13-year-old Rehef El-Hesun, who lives in another refugee camp in Idlib, likes lily flowers. “I like collecting lily flowers in the desert. There are many lilies here, they smell good and there is a great demand for this flower. I try to collect money by selling them. Then, I buy clothes with the money I collected,” she said.

“I collect money by selling flowers”

13-year-old Mohab El-Kamel is another child collecting money by selling flowers. Stating that she stays at a crossroads in Idlib every day to sell lilies and daisies, Mohab El-Kamel said, “My mother and sister collect flowers and I sell them here. Due to the increasing cost of living and our poor financial situation, I could not buy clothes. I am happy to be able to buy clothes for Ramadan Feast. I earned money selling flowers this year.”

“Daisy is the cure for many diseases”

Herbalist Lama El-Mousa told us that daisy has been used to treat various diseases for thousands of years and has many health benefits besides its delicious and effective aroma. “It is consumed coughs, bronchitis, disorders of the liver and kidneys, and swelling.”

“Daisy should be used instead of chemical medicines”

Advising that people should use daisy flowers instead of chemical medicines, Lama El-Mousa said that daisy flowers have health benefits with no negative effects on the human body. “Women living in the refugee camps have collected plants or flowers to earn money due to the difficult living conditions in Idlib. The Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief has recently released a report on the Humanitarian Situation in Syria. The report reveals the worsening situation of people in Syria. If something is not done, the situation of people will be worse.”