The stench of despair
Nadene Robertson from World Vision UK has been in Lebanon meeting families who have had to flee from Syria. In this blog she writes about the incredibly difficult conditions people are living in, in the south of the country.
By Nadene Robertson, Senior Media Officer, World Vision UK
The first thing that hits you is the stench – raw sewage, urine, faeces, unwashed bodies. It catches your throat and makes you gag. It’s two hours since I left and I can still smell it on my clothes and in my hair.
It is also the stench of despair.
Despair that comes from 120 families, almost 700 adults and children in total, crammed into a half built concrete block five storeys high. There are six ramshackle wooden toilets between all of these people, three for men and three for women. It’s clearly not enough and the open sewer in front of the building is full. Despite this children dressed in rags play games. As we watched one boy kicked a football into a pile of faeces and then dived straight in to get his ball. It’s no wonder that the disease has spread like wildfire. Several children have open sores on their faces from scabies, a highly contagious skin disease spread by water borne parasites. The only way to prevent cross contamination within a family is to wash all clothes and bedding in strong detergent. But here that’s impossible because there is no water and no power.
Finished dreams
These refugee families are virtually all from one town, Al Houjaa near Hamaa. They claim the town has been virtually destroyed and that one by one these families, some cousins and some neighbours have fled to Lebanon. I spoke to Mustafa who arrived only yesterday. His family came here two months ago but he stayed behind alone because he wanted to stay in school. He was in his last year of high school. He told me that last week the school was bombed so he decided to come and join his family. I ask him if he will try and finish his education in Lebanon. He shakes his head sadly: “No, I need to work and support my family. My dreams are finished now.”
These families have in effect created a new community in the half built Ouzaii building in the Southern Lebanese town of Saida. The building was intended as a Mosque and University but for now construction has been halted, wire cables hang out of the walls and washing is hung on precariously parts of unfinished balconies. And these families now call it home. On every floor – there are five in total but only three have floors – families are packed tightly, a thin plastic sheet all that afford privacy from one’s neighbours.
Worse than animals
Outside one building a woman vainly attempted to sweep away the stinking mud that runs the corridors. “Disease is everywhere” she told me. “My daughter had to go to hospital because she has a lung infection. I am terrified she will die. I am trying to raise 11 kids here . Can you imagine?”
As we leave a man starts to shout at us. “Why do you come here asking questions? Why don’t you help us? Look at us, we are living like animals. Worse than animals.”
I explain that I am here trying to raise awareness for the DEC appeal and ask him what message he has for the UK public. He grabs hold of a little boy next to him and points to the child’s clearly swollen, scarred and shattered face. “Look. This. My son has shrapnel in his face, he can’t breathe through his nose and he cannot hear any more. He needs an operation. But we are living this nightmare. Help us. For God’s sake please help us.”
World Vision is committed to responding to the needs children and families affected by the crisis in Syria. We are supporting families fleeing Syria by providing hygiene kits, blankets, stoves, food vouchers and safe places for children to start to recover from what they have been through.
Please consider donating to the Syria Appeal, and help feed, clothe and shelter Syrian children.