The Abandoned Children's of Damascus

By: Emily Henderson

Right in the heart of "Barzeh" in central Damascus lies a non-descript area of land that you would perhaps be forgiven for mistaking for a building sight. However, if you take the time to walk straight through this myriad of unfinished buildings you will soon stumble across a small entrance, indistinguishable but for the clusters of small smiling faces that usually appear on the balcony as you walk alongside. It becomes immediately apparent when you view the small playground directly outside that a great effort has been made to create a pleasant atmosphere. This is mirrored inside the building itself, where the corridors have large cartoons painted on the wall, and photographs of some of the children have been creatively placed alongside elaborate hand drawn flowers. These efforts are all evidence of the kindness and perseverance of all those that work at Dar Zaid Ben Hartheh Orphanage. They are clear and noble attempts to create some sort of 'normal' lifestyle for the children who have debatably been forgotten by the majority of society.

Despite these admirable efforts the paintings only momentarily distract you from the distinct smell of disinfectant, and the swings seem too rusted to have really been loved by many children – especially ones with the amount of energy as the children from Dar Zaid, as I was soon to discover! However the best has definitely been made of these otherwise drab and functional buildings and it is this unrelenting and cheerful approach to the most difficult of situations that appears to be the cornerstone on which Dar Zaid has been founded.

For life at Dar Zaid is not easy. It is not only the tireless energy of the children that the men and women who work there have to contend with, but also the constant scrutiny and judgment from society as a whole. In a society where family is rightly valued as of the utmost importance, what place do those with no lawful family to speak of have I asked myself? Only last month the orphanage was faced with an uphill struggle to get ID cards for 24 children. This ID, although perhaps of no intrinsic value to the children themselves, who would have undoubtedly little knowledge of its importance, is however the most basic form of identity in Syria. For it to be refused clearly demonstrates the way in which these children have had their backs turned on them by at least a portion of society.[1]

Dar Zaid is in fact the only orphanage in Damascus whose residents have been abandoned as opposed to orphaned. It became quickly recognizable to me that there is a large distinction between the way society views orphans i.e. those with no living parents, and abandoned children, where the child has been left by his/her parents and the child's origins may be unknown. Whereas the former is pitied and largely accepted by society, indeed Islam even encourages the protection of orphans as I shall describe in more depth in the second part of this report, the latter is still largely disregarded or viewed with disdain. Abandoned children simply do not generate the same sympathies from society, largely perhaps because it is not known to whom the sympathy is being bestowed. Whereas the lineage of orphans is known, it is different for abandoned children. Many of them may be the fruit of a pre-marital liaison or a child of an immigrant. Whatever the reason for their abandonment, there does appear to be an underlying feeling that if they were not good enough for their parents, they are not good enough to receive the empathy of society. The child is tarnished by events that took place before she/he could even consciously make decisions. It came as a great shock to me when I discovered that donations to Dar Zaid have even been withdrawn in the past after the donators discovered that many of the children within the orphanage may have born out of wedlock.

This discrimination has even infiltrated the government schools that the children attend. Interestingly it is not so much the judgment of the other children that is the problem, but the stigma attached to them by the adults. It seems that in the past some parents of the other children attending the school have even forbidden their children from contacting the abandoned children of Dar Zaid outside of school hours, and in some cases teachers have even refused to work with them. These attitudes completely undermine all that Dar Zaid tries to accomplish, for how are the children to be effectively integrated into society once they reach maturity when they are faced with this kind of prejudice from the outset?  

However Iman Mustafa ,the director of Dar Al- Aman LiL-aytam Orphange, situated in the Kafer Soseh area of Damascus seems to think that attitudes towards adoption and orphans are steadily becoming more positive. One reason she gave for this change in opinion was down to religious reflection. In the past, she maintained, people looked at orphans (she made no distinction between abandoned children and orphans) and took little time to assess their situation, and if they did then it was largely in the negative. They had no place in society and general opinion found that they did not deserve compassion. She maintained that societies' move towards accepting orphans is largely due to an increased emphasis on Zakat (the fifth pillar of Islam that necessitates the giving of alms or charity) and the more humanistic aspects of Islam.  However there does seem to be a piece of the puzzle missing in this theory.  The giving of alms has always been one of the five pillars of Islam, and Islam has always strongly encouraged the support of orphans, Mohammed himself was an orphan and adopted a son himself, so what has really encouraged this revived interested and/or acceptance of orphans that Iman Mustafa was speaking of?  Perhaps it is due to the increased media attention given to such organizations – Dar Al- Aman LiL-aytam has frequently been approached by broadcasters, and has been shown on Syrian television at least 6 times to date– or perhaps it is down to the increased number of institutions and orphanages being founded who actively seek to alter public opinion.

However, despite Mustafa’s optimism it seems apparent to me that this increased interest is only be found at surface level. Yes personal donations do appear to have increased a little in past years, though admittedly not enough to support the swelling number of children admitted, but does financial aid necessarily reflect the personal and unquestioning acceptance and support of the donor, especially when the giving of alms is thought to benefit ones own religious quest? There does seem to be increasing numbers of volunteers frequenting the orphanages around Damascus, but this notably only reflects the broadmindedness of a small percentage of people and their opinions are not necessarily indicative of society as a whole. The real attitude towards adoption and orphans can perhaps be seen more in the statistics and attitudes of   attitudes of those willing to adopt. For instance, I learned that there are an extraordinary number of couples applying for adoption that wish to keep it a secret, some even from their close relatives. They are so shamed by the adoption that some even leave the country for the time of 'pregnancy' or, if they did not have the means for this, use a pillow to feign the woman's condition, or lack of, before the adoption goes ahead. Although this may seem unbelievable and perhaps even a little comical, it outlines a huge social problem that is not only is not being addressed but is actually being masked by superficiality. As with all issues of social conscience, it is one thing to say that it is acceptable and help at an arms length, but it is quite another to openly engage in the practice yourself.

Also it is worth noting that Dar Aman Li-Laytam Orphange is not an orphanage in the same way as Dar Zaid, for the majority of the children (some 179)  have parents or at least some form of family living, and it is mandatory for them to return 'home' on a weekly basis. It therefore does not necessarily have to contend with the same types of discrimination as Dar Zaid.

  According to Lubna Muhamad, one member of the six strong psychology team at Dar Zaid, the social attitudes towards the children under her care are still cause for concern. She did not refute the postulation that social attitudes towards orphans are bettering, but rather focused on the clear discrimination faced by abandoned children.

Muhamad alleges that the true battle really lies in making sure that all of these children, regardless of their past, are respected by the rest of society. Her emphasis lay on the word respect. Anyone can give money, she maintained, especially if it is with further their own spiritual quest, but for their heart to believe in the cause of the children whatever color, heritage, or family situation takes a lot more.

While Islam (Dar Zaid is a predominately Muslim orphanage, although it accepts all children) encourages society to look after orphans no mention is made for the abandoned children, whose parentage is unknown. They are therefore more prone to escape public interest or be viewed in a negative light. Even the Islamic form of adoption, Kafala, which I will discuss in more depth in the second part of this report, places emphasis upon the genetic lineage of an 'adopted' child by ensuring that he/she retains their own family name, rather than assuming that of the adoptive family. This leaves the abandoned children in a very difficult situation, with no clear place in society. Muhamad however maintained that the problems lie in the attitudes of the people and not with the religion. The religion indeed provides a basis of support for orphaned children, although this is not reflected in the hearts of the people. 

A call is clearly needed to stamp out all of these social prejudices, especially for the abandoned children of Syria. This issue must be addressed so that these children can be accepted and looked after by not just a portion of society but by society as a whole. Emotional support is just as important as financial support, and until people see this and play an active role in supporting the children, I fear that the situation for the abandoned children in particular will only worsen.