Heba Darouzi is a 14-year-old girl who took refuge in Turkey along with her family four years ago due to the civil war in her homeland, Syria. Following the diagnosis of “Ewing Sarcoma”, a rare bone tumor usually seen in children, she has been receiving treatment since last year.

Heba has also been suffering from celiac disease for two and a half years. She must eat gluten-free foods as recommended by her doctor. Food products consumed by celiac patients are gluten-free and quite expensive compared to regular food. Her family cannot afford this type of food. Having been injured in a bomb explosion during the civil war in Syria, Heba’s father cannot work for a long period of time due to the damage to his neck and waist. Therefore, he is having a hard time meeting his daughter’s specific nutritional needs.

Heba’s biggest dream

The main form of entertainment for Heba, who has to face the challenges of life at such a young age, is painting. Heba started painting at the age of six.  It is Heba’s biggest dream to one day open a large exhibition of her own paintings.

WEFA has visited Heba and got to know this little painter closely. Heba explained that despite all the difficulties she went through, she did not lose the slightest bit of her cheerful attitude.  Each of her paintings has striking touches that symbolize hope.  We saw paintings of birds, the sky, the sun, the sea, trees and flowers in all sizes and colors. Heba paints everything that gives hope for her life and the future.  The walls of her room were also decorated with her paintings. It was a very colorful and sparkly room, just like her soul.

For us at the WEFA International Humanitarian Aid Organization, we’ve had such a marvellous experience by extending our helping hand to Heba and in getting to know this beautiful young girl and listen to her story.

With the slogan “people are for people”, we wanted to provide financial support for Heba and her family within the framework of fundraising activities supported by WEFA volunteer Hatice Şahin and her followers, who continue their charity efforts.

We are forever grateful for our charitable friends who have enabled our meeting with Heba in order to alleviate the family’s troubles to some extent and to keep their hopes for the future alive. Heba and her family sincerely replied to your greetings, and when we were about to leave, we promised her that we would visit the family again.

Heba’s joyful and pretty smile was the sweetest memory of the day.

Heba Darouzi

Heba Darouzi