12-year-old hidden hero

This is Yasmine. Bright, strong, an overcomer.

Yasmine is one of 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled to nearby Lebanon when the danger of the Syrian conflict (ongoing) forced her and her family to flee. The Syrian civil war crisis has displaced 6 million people. Yasmine and her family now live in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley with approximately 344,000 other Syrian refugees.

The Bekaa Valley is about 50kms east of Beirut, Lebanon. It houses nearly 3000 informal refugee settlements and camps. These informal camps are home to up to 344,000 Syrian refugees. Camps range in size and infrastructure. Many camps are made-up of tents (wood frame with plastic tarps) and set up on land generally owned by farmers. Families pay rent for their allotted space.

The rental arrangements with land owners and farmers are supposed to include some basic services, but most do not. Many camps lack access to basic essentials and families living in overcrowded spaces must share the limited services. In the Bekaa Valley, World Vision has been implementing its Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programme. In collaboration with world aid agencies we have provided toilets and access to running water for many camps. During the COVID-19 crisis soap, hand sanitiser and disinfectant have been distributed to families.

It’s been 6 years since Yasmine and her family fled Syria. “I remember playing with my cousins outdoor and visiting our grandparents. Life was very simple there (Syria). Now we live in a tent. I am constantly afraid that it may catch fire, especially during winter when the heater is on,” she says. 15 people live in Yasmine’s tent. Her parents, siblings, her uncle, aunt and cousins.

“When I first heard of the virus, I was very scared. But now, after the awareness sessions, I understand how to keep my family and myself safe,” says Yasmine.

Awareness sessions are run by World Vision animators (teachers) who are a part of the WASH team (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene). The sessions teach children about COVID-19 utilising games, songs and child-friendly language that helps to dispell any fear they may have around COVID-19. The children learn how to keep themselves and their families safe.

“We created different games that we can all take part in and learn. The games teach us how to get rid of an object representing the virus. We have fun playing the games.”

Yasmine has taken her awareness sessions very seriously. She teaches her little brother how to properly wash his hands.

“It’s been two months since I last went to school. I am reviewing all my studies on a daily basis so that I can be ready when schools re-open,” she says. “I am not going outside to play with my friends. I spend most of my time in the tent playing with my siblings or cousins.”

It's hard for us to truly understand how refugees like Yasmine and her family end up living in a refugee camp. Or what it would be like. When people are forced to flee violence and danger they can not lock the house up, drive off and return home in a few months when things calm down. They literally flee, many on foot and often with only the clothes on their back and a bag. They leave behind homes, jobs, community and their hoped for future. It's a devastating reality but amidst the danger and loss, there are rays of hope. In the refugee camps of the Bekaa Valley, Child Friendly Spaces are a place of safety, joy and learning.

For children like Yasmine being able to attend school or a Child Friendly Space provides an outlet for friendship, stimulation and learning. The term ‘psycho-social’ is often used when speaking about children who have lived through unspeakable trauma. In camps for refugees and displaced people, Child Friendly Spaces are an oasis of fun and learning where children can begin to heal from the trauma of having to leave home.

"I wish the Coronavirus pandemic will end soon so I can go back to school and see my friends. Until then, people need to keep social distancing and cleaning their hands,” says Yasmine.

In the face of continued difficulties Yasmine demonstrates the hope and potential in every child, no matter where the live. A true hidden hero.