When bombs fell near her home, Mariam's life changed in an instant. Her house, once a place of comfort, was no longer a safe shelter, and the family was left with nothing but fear and uncertainty.
Lost home, shattered dreams: Mariam rebuilds after war
Mariam, a mother of twin seven-year-old boys and a three-year-old daughter, lives with her husband, a daily laborer whose income barely covers their basic needs. The financial instability leaves no possibility of them repairing their home after it was partially damaged by war.
“We fled on 25 September,” Mariam recalls. “I will never forget that day. We were terrified, running under ceaseless bombardment, with shells falling from all directions. It felt like the world was ending.”
With their safety at risk, Mariam and her family fled their home in Baalbek to the relative safety of Arsal, a town in Bekaa Lebanon. But the journey was far from easy - they left behind almost everything. The only clothes they carried were suited to warm weather, leaving them unprepared for the cold nights that followed. At first, they slept on the streets taking shelter under trees. Later, they stayed with friends, but the house was too small to accommodate them all. For weeks, they had to rely entirely on themselves, with no external help, struggling to survive the harsh winter.
“It was a very difficult time,” Mariam admits. “We had no jobs and no income. I will never forget the suffering.”
Mariam, a mother of twin seven-year-old boys and a three-year-old daughter, lives with her husband, a daily laborer whose income barely covers their basic needs. The financial instability leaves no possibility of them repairing their home after it was partially damaged by war.
“We fled on 25 September,” Mariam recalls. “I will never forget that day. We were terrified, running under ceaseless bombardment, with shells falling from all directions. It felt like the world was ending.”
With their safety at risk, Mariam and her family fled their home in Baalbek to the relative safety of Arsal, a town in Bekaa Lebanon. But the journey was far from easy - they left behind almost everything. The only clothes they carried were suited to warm weather, leaving them unprepared for the cold nights that followed. At first, they slept on the streets taking shelter under trees. Later, they stayed with friends, but the house was too small to accommodate them all. For weeks, they had to rely entirely on themselves, with no external help, struggling to survive the harsh winter.
“It was a very difficult time,” Mariam admits. “We had no jobs and no income. I will never forget the suffering.”
Sharing a home
Eventually, with no other options, they moved into a rented house shared with her parents and siblings.
Now, four families share a single small home, each trying to rebuild their lives after the trauma of war. Yet, even two months after the truce, the past still lingers. Mariam’s children remain terrified at the sound of aircrafts overhead, their fear keeping them awake at night. Even the smallest noise can trigger panic. The effects of war go beyond destroyed homes - they leave deep psychological and emotional scars, often far harder to mend than damaged walls.
“My youngest son, one of the twins, started wetting the bed and became afraid of any loud noises,” says Mariam. “He won’t let me leave his side, not even for a moment.”
A lifeline in crisis
After the truce, when all seemed lost, Mariam’s family received cash assistance from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) – a lifeline at their breaking point. Unable to cover the rent for their small, overcrowded home, the support came just in time. It covered their rent and allowed Mariam to buy much-needed clothes for her children. A small amount, but for her family, it meant survival.
“I remember when we received the help,” she says. “We were so worried about the rent, and how we would survive. The support came just in time. At that moment, we didn’t need kits—we needed cash assistance to keep going, to keep a safe roof over our heads."
Today, Mariam’s family is still living in that rented house, but they are slowly beginning to rebuild their lives. Their house in Baalbek remains uninhabitable, but they dream of returning once repairs are made.
“Home is home,” Mariam says wistfully. “There’s no place like it. We want to go back, but we need help to fix our house first. Little by little, we will return.”
For Mariam and her children, the road to recovery will be long. But NRC’s timely assistance gave them more than just financial relief—it gave them the strength to keep going. Her story is one of many, a reminder that targeted aid not only provides immediate support but also restores hope for families working to rebuild their lives after conflict.
Impact of the conflict in Lebanon - key figures:
- Lebanon has endured 14 months of hostilities, which began in October 2023.
- Since October 2023, attacks have resulted in 4,285 deaths, including 285 children and 842 women, with 17,200 people wounded as of 9 January, according to the Ministry of Public Health as of January 9 (OCHA).
- 890,830 people displaced during the escalation have returned to the cadastres from where they were initially displaced, as of February 6, 2025 (IOM).
- 98,986 people remain internally displaced, primarily in Saida, El Nabatieh, Sour, and Aley (IOM).
- A ceasefire agreement was implemented on 27 November 2024. It was initially set to expire on 26 January 2025 but has now been extended until February 18, 2025.
- Entire neighborhoods in south Lebanon, Bekaa, and Beirut have been destroyed.
- Nearly 100,000 housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in conflict-affected areas in Lebanon.
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