Syrian girls rise above anxiety to take back childhood

July 25, 2024

Emily Klooster

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As conflict bleeds into southern Lebanon and economic stress rises, Warm Heart’s message to parents is: “Let children learn first; a job will come later.”

Lebanon is facing its worst socio-economic crisis in decades. Ongoing conflict in the south between Israel and Hezbollah, a result of the Israel-Hamas war, is hitting vulnerable populations hard with disruptions to supply chains and limited access to food, healthcare, and education. Nine out of ten Syrian refugees need humanitarian aid to cover their basic needs, and clashes along Lebanon’s southern border have displaced over 86,600 people, including Syrians.

Parents feel compelled to send their children to work.

Anxiety runs high, for everyone. Economic hardship in Lebanon means many Syrian parents feel compelled to send their children to work. Joseph Milan, co-founder of TSI partner Warm Heart, drives from camp to camp in Bekaa Valley delivering medicine and food to school families. Children work in the fields along his route.

“Years ago, I started our first vocational training classes [for Syrians],” he said. “I discourage parents from sending their kids straight to work. Let them learn first. A job will come later.”

Joseph’s life is defined by his willingness to help families through tough times. Along with food and medicine, he picks up sewing supplies for the vocational class run by his wife, Lidia Agha, out of the mobile school funded by TSI donors in 2022. The girls in Lidia’s class are thrilled with their chance to learn and embrace childhood.

Let them learn.

“They started with curtains, then pillows,” Lidia said. “Now they sew their own clothes, they hem, mend, and fix zippers. They will use these skills in the future, as moms to save money for their families, or to start a business.”

Parents see the value of the training, and mothers often want to take classes alongside their daughters. Joseph says his team treats each student like a daughter of the King. “They were discouraged before, now they have dignity and hope,” he said.

One Syrian mom is relieved to have found Warm Heart. “My daughter was in another school, and they called to tell me she was lazy,” she said. “Now, my daughter is happy and accepted. She loves it here.”

The difference is clear.

The hope Warm Heart offers is challenged by the political climate in the south of Lebanon, which Joseph says is similar to Gaza. Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees in the world per capita, and poverty there has tripled in the past decade. Crime rates are high and some Lebanese blame refugees for the country’s troubles.

“The conflict [in the south] is nearer and wider every day. People are tired and depressed,” said Joseph. “It’s dangerous right now. The government is divided, but the majority are saying, ‘We want Syrians out.'”

The Warm Heart team continue to serve Syrians against government wishes, moving families to secure locations and using their contacts with the government and in hospitals despite pushback. “The fruits are what motivate us,” Joseph said. “We hear: ‘Your children are different. They look healthy, their clothes are clean, they are joyful.’”

Lidia added, “All need love at the beginning. They see we are different. Why are we helping them? Because we love them.” •

Please pray for Lebanon.