Last year, we visited Ilham and her family in their home, a rehabilitated shelter we provided to them, rent-free, for twelve months.
What has happened to Ilham and her family?
The Lebanese landlord decided to allow the family to continue to stay in the small apartment, without claiming any rent. They have been there for nine months now.
“The landlord is a very good man. He also brings us food, like bags of sugar, for free,” says Ilham’s father, Mohammad, 36. He hugs his daughter and she giggles, a moment reminiscent of their strong bond, clearly visible last year.
Mohammad is disabled and, therefore, cannot work. Sometimes, he goes to a nearby cement factory, but he cannot do much. However, the owner still pays him LBP 10,000 (around USD 6.5) , because he knows Mohammad needs the money.
“Things were much better when we first arrived. We didn’t mind paying $100 a month in rent. We thought we would go back home soon,” Mohammad explains.
But, four years later, the family is certainly not as optimistic, and paying a $100 a month in rent is far from doable.
“We’re in the same situation as we were last year. It’s miserable” Mohammad says. “This is the first time I’ve ever had to borrow money in my life”.
A new addition to the family
Mohammad’s wife, Safa, 26, gave birth to their second child, Youssef, last year. He is now 9 months old, and his parents have not yet registered his birth, which puts Youssef at risk of becoming stateless. NRC’s Information, Counselling, and Legal Assistance (ICLA) team are supporting Youssef’s parents to formally record Youssef’s birth.
Ilham sits quietly in the corner, playing with Youssef and repeatedly kisses him on the cheek. While she can’t remember Syria, Mohammad says she asks about her home country every other day. “Where is our house, when can we go back?”
And while lively and excited, she keeps an air of shyness and reserve.
She still does not go to school, and asks her parents why she cannot learn like her Lebanese neighbours do.
“She asks me when the bus will start picking her up for school,” Mohammad says, slightly laughing.
The family has been living in Lebanon without legal stay for the last two years, unable to afford the $200 both parents need to pay to receive residency permits.
“When Youssef was born, we had extra responsibilities and expenses,” Safa says. She has dark circles under her eyes, and is visibly tired.
She thinks about resettling in a third country,but Mohammad is sceptical. “Where else would we go?” he asks. He feels that he would not be able to handle the physical and psychological stress of moving to yet another country.
“I just want to go back to Syria,” he says, holding Ilham close.
