ŞÊRÎN ELÎ

Shahba- Afrin had beautiful forests and nature and the people of Afrin made their living from animal husbandry for thousands of years before it was occupied by Turkey and Turkish-backed factions. Undoubtedly, women have a great role in preserving and maintaining the culture of their society. Although caring for animals has many challenges, the women of Afrin took up these challenges and cared for the animals. The displaced women of Afrin living in Shahba continue to preserve their culture by feeding sheep.

“We make our living by feeding sheep”

47-year-old Cihan Hebeş is one of the women having been forcibly displaced from Çeqmaqa village of Afrin’s Recoya town. “We fed sheep in Afrin before it was occupied by Turkey and Turkish-backed factions. Since women cannot find a job in Shahba, we started feeding sheep again. We make cheese and yogurt from sheep milk. The fodder for sheep is getting expensive. We are two families feeding 300 sheep. My son and brothers work as shepherds while I and my sister-in-law do chores and milk the sheep. Last year was better than this year because there was more hay and fodder. We make our living by feeding sheep,” she told NuJINHA.

“We make dairy products”

39-year-old Mizgin Mustafa has been displaced from Reco town of Afrin to Shahba. Stating that they face many difficulties in Shahba away from their homeland, Mizgin Mustafa said, “We started feeding sheep due to the limited job opportunities in Shahba. If we become unemployed, we will not be able to meet the needs of our children. We make dairy products to make a living. Although we face many challenges due to the high prices of fodder, we keep feeding sheep. We make the homesickness go away by feeding sheep.”