Nadia’s song of resilience: Raising her voice amid crisis and displacement

UNITED NATIONS, New York – “I've loved singing since I was a child,” 24-year-old Nadia told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “It is my way of expressing my feelings and thoughts.” 

Music has been Nadia’s safe space since age six, sustaining her through the premature death of her father and Syria’s protracted civil conflict. 

For almost 14 years, the country has been locked in a devastating humanitarian crisis, with 16.7 million people in urgent need of assistance. Over 6.7 million people are internally displaced with millions more fleeing to neighbouring countries. 

Against this backdrop, women and girls have faced mounting challenges: Acute malnutrition, a severe lack of access to health services and high rates of gender-based violence – including  child marriage. 

Nadia herself was married at just 14 years old. She became a mother two years later, while still a child herself. “The marriage was my grandparents' decision, not mine,” she said. 

Child marriage in crisis

Even before the conflict in Syria, child marriage was common, with more than one in ten women aged 20 to 24 reporting they had married before age 18. But studies show the harmful practice has escalated among Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries as well as among those displaced in Syria. 

“[It] has risen due to migration and poverty, and to reduce the number of family members, especially in families with many daughters,” one Syrian mother told researchers. “It is rare to see a girl who is 13 and is not married.” 

Child marriage is a human rights violation that imperils girls’ health and futures, as it often leads them to drop out of school and to become mothers before their bodies and minds are ready, often with devastating consequences. But when struggling with extreme poverty, insecurity and displacement, some families feel they have no other option.

Nadia has lived in a sprawling refugee settlement in northeast Syria since 2019, alongside about 40,000 other people. There, she has faced a myriad of challenges: The region’s harsh desert conditions, the camp’s lack of electricity and clean water, scarce opportunities for employment, and financial stress. 

Yet through visits to a nearby UNFPA-supported women and girls’ safe space, she has rediscovered something essential: Hope, and her voice. 

The power of self-belief

UNFPA runs a maternity clinic and four women and girls’ safe spaces at the displacement camp where Nadia lives. Since the beginning of 2024 an estimated 19,000 people have sought assistance at these facilities for sexual and reproductive health services, gender-based violence support and psychosocial counselling.

Through UNFPA, Nadia has received mental health support as well as taking English language and sewing courses. 

“The assistance I received helped me recover and regain my footing,” she said. “I rediscovered my confidence and true self, allowing me to return to the activities I love, especially singing.”

Today, she practises in her tent, preparing for her dream career as an internationally renowned singer – a goal that led her to pitch herself to radio stations to perform.

“After several rejections, I finally succeeded, sharing my songs and experiences with listeners on two radio shows,” Nadia said.

Listen to Nadia’s song of resilience below.