MEET IMANE

Imane and her four children outside their appartment

We are from the countryside of Aleppo, Syria, but we fled seven years ago, ever since ISIS came to our area. ISIS used to cut off heads in public. They pressured all women to cover themselves from head to toe, threatening to kill the ones who wouldn’t comply. We saw many people die in front of our eyes. When the airplanes would hit, I really believed my daughter or I were going to die. We first moved to Damascus where it was safer at the time, and God granted us twins, a girl and a boy. Sadly, my baby boy passed away when he was six months old because we couldn’t afford bottled water. Despite boiling the water that I gave him, it was still unclean and gave him intestinal inflammation and poisoning. No doctor or treatment was available at the time, and he died in my arms. Shortly after this tragedy, my husband was mistaken for someone else, arrested, and tortured. We didn’t recognize him when he got back home, he was very traumatized, and for three months he could not even walk and had to receive treatment for his numerous injuries. Up until this day, his leg makes it difficult for him to work. When he started to feel a bit better, we moved to Lebanon.

We found safety here, but everything is becoming so difficult now. Sometimes I feel that the days of the war in Syria were somehow easier. We haven’t seen our families in more than seven years. We talk on the phone but without the video because it is too expensive and I know I would cry if I saw them. They do not know our children who were born here. But my biggest concern is my youngest son’s health. He was born with a lungs condition and immediately needs to be hospitalized if he gets sick. Two weeks ago, he choked on his own sputum, and we felt he was going to die. His dad started roaming around looking for pharmacies, they were closed. He went all the way to Jounieh to get him medicine. I couldn’t bear losing a second child. I myself have health issues, including a nerves infection for which treatment is now totally unaffordable. But I don’t mind as long as my children are fine.

Lately, there has been a lot of pressure from the owner of the house because we cannot always afford rent. Sometimes he cuts off our water. He brought a lawyer once and wanted to bring the police to kick us out in front of my kids.

Little by little, our landlord became more understanding of our situation. He needs money because he has also been impacted by the crisis in Lebanon and his mother had cancer and he couldn’t afford her treatment. It was heartbreaking. I talked to the people at the church about him and asked if they could help him too, but shortly after his mom passed away, and he couldn’t afford the burial fees. It makes us feel terrible that we cannot pay him the rent we owe him, but we just do not have any money right now.

The increase in food prices is out of this world. Now, in order to secure oil, my husband has to work for five days! We are unable to buy meat, cheese, or even fruits. But thanks to the voucher we received from the church, I was able to buy many things I couldn’t afford anymore. I got bulghur, lentil, rice, sugar, tea, yogurt, and even some meat and biscuits for my children, they were very excited! The food I got last week should be enough for two more weeks, thank God!

As I tried to buy cleaning supplies with it, they told me the voucher was just for food, so I returned the cleaning items because I couldn’t afford them. The very next day, I told someone from the church about my experience. He told me that God never abandons his children, and the church gave us a hygiene kit filled with all necessary cleaning items! I couldn’t believe it. It was clearly God sending us exactly what we needed.

The church also helped us go through the winter. We did not have a heater and the church gave us one, along with three vouchers for heating fuel, and warm blankets. I gave one of the three vouchers to another family who needed help. Because I know what it is like to have nothing, I try and help other families anytime I can. I helped families with young children, by sharing the milk that I got from the church.

I got to know the church through my neighbor who had her kids in their education center. My daughter Amal had missed many years of school and I couldn’t even put her in public school because I couldn’t pay for the bus. When I heard that in this center, everything is provided for free, even transportation and all the material, I quickly registered her. She has been going for three years now and we are all very happy. Amal is studying well and very serious about it. She is smart and grasps everything quickly.

When the center switched to online learning, we tried our best so that Amal continues to study well but it was not always easy or even possible. We all use the same phone and some days it didn’t even work. Other days, we didn’t have it at home because my husband takes it with him to work, so the assignments quickly started to pile up.

We are very happy that she is able to go back in person this year and we hope it will continue like this. She is excited to see all her friends and teachers. The teachers are great and very special to me, especially Sara. Whenever I face any problem, I talk to her. She always listens, helps if she can, comforts and encourages me to stay strong. Just talking with her makes me feel better, I feel like I am talking to my mom or my sister.

The church also included me in an activity for mothers. We used to chat together for about 30 minutes every week. In the cessions, the lady from the church raised awareness about many issues related to children and education, and how to better cope with stress and strong emotions, or deal with things at home. It was nice to meet new mothers who experience similar challenges.

Overall, the church has been helping us with so many things since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak! If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what would have happened to us. Thank God for their support and for everyone making this possible!

Although we don’t get any assistance from them, we are registered with the UN in the hope of being resettled anywhere else in the world. My husband cannot imagine putting a feet in Syria anymore because of what happened to him and he really wants to travel so that our children have a chance of a brighter future.