The journey from having a steady standard of living to becoming refugees facing poverty in a foreign country has been short and brutish for Ghada and her family.
A few weeks ago, Ghada and her seven children were living in a normal house in Syria, with her husband making a reasonable living as a taxi driver.
But that’s all gone now. Escalating conflict forced them to flee, leaving their country and everything of their former lives behind.
Ghada explains, ‘We travelled here in a small van that took us across the border. We paid 9,500 (Syrian) pounds (approximately US $130) to come here. We only had 500 pounds (US $7) left when we arrived.
‘In Syria, we lived in our own home which we had built ourselves. Just a small home, with three rooms. We built it using money my husband earned from driving a taxi.
Makeshift shelter
‘We had a garden where we grew tomatoes and eggplant. The children used to go to the school that was right beside our house.’
The prospects of rebuilding that life anytime soon don’t look great. The family is currently living in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley where they have a makeshift shelter made of thin wood and discarded vinyl sheets, which used to be an advertising hoarding.
Alongside are 30 other similar constructions, built along a dirt road beside a potato farm.
Ghada, 38, is an attentive mother and has tried to make the shelter as homely as she can in the difficult circumstances, tacking bunches of artificial flowers to the walls and laying plastic mats on the dirt floor.
A Tearfund partner has been providing help for the family to make conditions more tolerable in the Lebanese winter, when temperatures can plummet to below freezing.
Warmth
A stove from our partner provides warmth for the family and plastic sheeting helps boost insulation. They’ve also had blankets and mattresses.
Ghada said, ‘This winter would have been unbearably cold without the materials you gave us. Even before receiving this stove, with just the plastic and insulation you gave us, we felt the temperature rise.
'My husband put the plastic and insulation up himself. The children and I helped him do it. It was no problem – easy to do!’
But life remains far from easy. Worries about family still in Syria are never far from Ghada’s mind, especially her parents who she’s not been able to contact by phone.
Also her husband has developed problems with his chest which get worse in the cold weather. He’s been working for local farmers but when it rains that work stops and so does his income.
Thanks for everything
‘We are not able to save any money now,’ says Ghada. ‘All the money my husband earns is spent on bread for the family, and doctor’s visits.’
Ghada says the children, aged between one and 13, are getting used to their new circumstances and have made friends with other refugee kids but none of them are going to school.
Despite the conditions, Ghada remains a woman of warmth, yet resolve: ‘We are thankful that we arrived here safely, that the children are well, and that no one has been hurt. We thank God that there is shelter for us here.
‘We wish the situation in Syria would get better. If the situation stays as it is, we cannot go back. We will have to stay here.
‘We are very happy with the materials you gave us. Thank you for everything you have done, and everything you will do.’
Please support Tearfund in helping more families like Ghada’s – make a donation to our Syria emergency appeal here today.
- Names have been changed to protect identities.