Lewaa is Gender and Protection Officer for CARE Lebanon. Here to tells of how his life has changed since the escalation of the conflict, and his new route as an aid worker, distributing aid to those who urgently need it.
Right now, CARE's incredibly dedicated team are working round the clock. With your help, we are providing urgent support to people in Lebanon, Gaza and the wider region. Please, if you can, donate today so that we can continue this vital work.
"The usual "How are you?" that begins every conversation has become difficult, as discussions now revolve solely around violence and bombings—just like everything else in our daily lives.
Our lives, routines, and habits have changed drastically in just two weeks. Each morning, the first thing I do is check on my family, friends, and colleagues after the night’s bombings. In fact, I do this constantly, as air attacks are unpredictable, and we never know what might happen to our loved ones.
As humanitarian workers, we focus on providing assistance amid this chaos and worsening crisis. Every day, more families are forced to flee their homes, and new emergency shelters are being created—there are currently 1,025 in the country, but even that isn’t enough. We often see families sleeping outside. Everyone is searching for a safe place, but we are facing the unexpected. Sometimes we receive warnings of airstrikes, allowing people time to flee and prepare, but at other times, the strikes occur without warning. You never know which areas are safe and which are dangerous. It’s complicated to live this way, and it’s challenging to do our job.
No one is safe
Especially since no one is safe—civilians, humanitarian workers... We plan distributions in advance, but the situation can change without warning. Every morning at 6 a.m., we check that the roads to the shelters are safe to avoid bombings. Even once we're in the car, we check for safety every minute. Assessing safety has become a new routine in both my work and personal life.
The noise of war has become background noise—warplanes, constant sound of drones, windows shaking from sonic booms, and bombings. Even if it’s not happening directly nearby, the sound of the bombs is so loud that it can be heard across the entire region. It’s unsettling how quickly this has become our new normal. At the same time, a part of me tells me that I mustn’t get used to it; I must always stay alert to remain safe.
What should I tell my children?
It’s hard for many people, especially children, who cry and tremble when they hear the bombs. Parents we support ask us, "What should I tell my children? Should I say that the sounds we hear are just fireworks to reassure them? Should I tell them the truth, that almost no place in our country is safe anymore? Should I rob them of any sense of security they have when they are already far from their family, friends, and school?" People don’t have answers for their children who ask what’s happening and what will happen tomorrow, nor do they have answers for themselves.
Many are overwhelmed by stress and fear, and they can’t sleep anymore. Everyone is searching for ways to cope. Personally, I try to manage by writing, listening to music, and sending funny reels to friends to help us escape, even briefly, from the constant barrage of information on our phones about new bombings and forced displacements.
Strength in solidarity
To cope with this situation, we’re also witnessing a great deal of solidarity. All the CARE teams are now involved in our emergency response, including colleagues who were working on other projects, such as agriculture support or human resources. The humanitarian needs are enormous, and people want to feel active. It’s the same in the shelters; displaced families organise themselves to improve their living conditions in schools and gymnasiums that aren’t designed for housing people, and they help with distributions. This incredible show of solidarity also helps combat feelings of powerlessness, which is crucial to prevent people from falling apart.
After each day of work, I feel exhausted physically but even more so emotionally. Some people cling to the hope that this will end soon and that our normal lives will resume, while others see no way out. They’ve received news that the houses they left behind have been destroyed, that they have nowhere to go, and that they’ve lost their lives and jobs. Many are worried about their children missing out on education and are concerned about the coming winter, asking us for heating supplies.
Most are in survival mode, focusing only on getting through the day, knowing tomorrow may be even harder."
How you can help
Please donate to our emergency appeal today so that aid workers like Lewaa can continue to deliver support to those who urgently need it.
CARE International UK is raising money together with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) for the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. The DEC is a consortium of 15 aid agencies working together in times of disasters and emergencies
