Syria Crisis: Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

Mercy Corps is running Gender Based Violence sessions to teach both men and women about gender, equality and conflict resolution. Women face a lot of risks in their current situation; violence, beatings and rape are all concerns. Diana (pictured), 18, left Syria with her family when she was 11 or 12. Her mother, Kaffa, hosts the sessions in her home, and even though they have only been in operation for 2 weeks, they have become very popular. Kaffa and her family fled from Syria; it took them 4 days to get to Lebanon. 'We fled from death, we fled from hunger and terror,{quote} she said. Her husband cannot work because he has a herniated disc, so Kaffa takes care of him.When they first arrived, they did not have any shelter. Everyone who could work had to start working, including the children (as young as 9) in the fields for about $4 a day so that they could rent some kind of shelter. {quote}I feel safe here - there is no more war, no more killing, no more death. I have secured my family so now I am able to sleep at night.{quote}
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, August 2017

Mercy Corps is running Gender Based Violence sessions to teach both men and women about gender, equality and conflict resolution. Women face a lot of risks in their current situation; violence, beatings and rape are all concerns. Diana (pictured), 18, left Syria with her family when she was 11 or 12. Her mother, Kaffa, hosts the sessions in her home, and even though they have only been in operation for 2 weeks, they have become very popular. Kaffa and her family fled from Syria; it took them 4 days to get to Lebanon. 'We fled from death, we fled from hunger and terror," she said. Her husband cannot work because he has a herniated disc, so Kaffa takes care of him. 

When they first arrived, they did not have any shelter. Everyone who could work had to start working, including the children (as young as 9) in the fields for about $4 a day so that they could rent some kind of shelter. "I feel safe here - there is no more war, no more killing, no more death. I have secured my family so now I am able to sleep at night."