Lebanon doesn't allow establishing formal refugee camps, despite one third of people living in the country being displaced from Syria and Palestine. Stuck in a limbo of vulnerability, they turn to their communities for solace and strength.
On various assignments with:
Sawa for Development and Aid, UNHCR, Hilfswerk International
Lebanon, 2014-2017
Across regions devastated by war, the fight to sustain life is driven by women. They were displaced by trauma – by the total destruction of their homes and their social fabrics.
But they build communities anew. They seek opportunities for their children, their extended families, and each other. It is the unrecognised care work of women that brings people together, feeds them, protects them from the cold winters of the Bekaa Valley, and equips children with skills and knowledge essential for imagining their future.
“I opened this store about a year ago and started out taking a bus into town to buy things like dish-soap, cloths and treats for the kids. Now, people depend on me to buy their essentials. Many can’t pay up-front, so they pay me whenever they can. What can you do? Refuse to give your neighbour bread?”
Over 4 years, Umm Talal has been displaced and resettled 3 times, in 3 different countries. On top of opening a store for the informal settlement, taking reading classes and English lessons, setting up a communal bakery, and taking care of her home of 10 people, Umm Talal is the women’s representative to the main NGO supporting their community.
Looking beyond the tents, the same female power is in charge of education and health facilities of various forms and shapes, which are often organised and staffed by women.
Removing the burden of unpaid reproductive labour would cause everyones livelihood to collapse. No more refuge, no more hope.
Racha and her almost all female staff and volunteers manage a Primary Health Centre in Bazourieh, South Lebanon.
Because of her outreach and awareness campaigns, women come to session on their own initiative and decide as a group what topics they want to discuss. Apart from vaccinations and free of charge newborn checkups, her mental health work is important to the wellbeing in surrounding communities, as it detects school drop-outs or child labour early.
This project was completed during 3 years of documenting the institutions in and around the informal refugee settlements in Lebanon. It could not have been possible without Nour Haidar and the many other inspiring women who guided me, and allowed me access to more stories than anyone could possibly do justice to.