Dreams of my homeland

“Our life used to be great. We had a two-bedroom house with balconies, a living room, and space for the children,” said Ramia. “It’s all gone now.”

Ramia didn’t want to leave Homs. “At the beginning of the crisis, we hid underground at every strike, but it became unbearable. I was seeing injured people and dead bodies on the streets. I could no longer risk the lives of my children.”

Ramia was five months pregnant with her son Younis (now three) when they fled to Lebanon. The family arrived with absolutely nothing, no clothes, no money, and with no place to go: “My husband’s friend told us about this settlement, so we came here. It was wintertime, very cold and rainy. We had never lived in a tent before. We didn’t know how to do it.”

“The first night in Lebanon was the worst night of my life; we literally slept in the mud. I tried to find plastic bags to put under the kids so they’d have a dry surface to lie on. I was scared. Although I knew it was safer to be in Lebanon, I felt like a homeless person sleeping out in the street.”

Ramia’s family borrowed vinyl sheeting from people in the settlement, and soon they received a shelter kit from Medair.  Things got better with time, and Ramia ended up  helping Medair as a health volunteer. She would gather the women in the settlement and promote health messages. “I’m very thankful for Medair and the opportunity that they provided me. I am no longer a health volunteer but I benefited a lot from the tips, knowledge, and health services. I still go to Medair’s health clinic with my children and encourage everyone to go there to receive health care and medicine.”