We Syrians dared to dream after so much fear and pain

Whenever I think back to that first moment when the Syrian revolution began, it feels as though it happened yesterday.

- WAAD AL-KATEAB

That moment planted an unshakable faith within us, despite all the oppression, betrayal, and heartbreak we've endured. It was the birth of a dream, one whose shape we couldn't yet see but whose presence was undeniable. We believed we were living a historic moment one that would shape a new face for Syria.

I lived through five years of the revolution in Aleppo, witnessing massacres, war crimes, and unimaginable suffering. I captured it all through my camera - the hope, the pain, the challenges, the betrayals, and the resilience - until we were forcibly displaced from our city in 2016.

It has been eight years since we left Aleppo, leaving us as orphans without her. Back then, we didn’t know if we would survive. My husband was managing the last remaining hospital after the Syrian regime and Russia had bombed and destroyed every other medical centre. My daughter Sama was about to turn one, and I was pregnant with my second daughter, Taima. We managed to escape with our lives, but losing Aleppo left a deep wound in us.

Today, after all these years, Aleppo remains in my heart, in my eyes, and in our endless stories. The greatest pain in my life is knowing I will never be able to take my daughters to Aleppo, to walk with them through its streets. But I made a promise to myself – and to them – that I will never forget.