Initiatives to mitigate the effects of the Israeli war on children in southern Lebanon

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South Lebanon -

His face says a lot despite his silence. He smiles and his eyes full of tears hide many details about his displacement journey, but he could not hide his fear for his children. Hassan Hamdan sadly says to Al Jazeera Net, “What is their fault for living in fear and anxiety,” after he was displaced from the village of “Aita.” Al-Shaab" at the Lebanese-Palestinian border to the town of Ansar in the Nabatieh district in southern Lebanon.

Hamdan, a father of four children, including Nour, was forced to flee with them in search of a safe place, after his border village was subjected to Israeli bombing. He recalled images of the children of martyrs in the Gaza Strip that pained him. This prompted him to take the decision to flee to protect his family from danger, in search of reassurance. And safety.

Nour Hamdan was displaced with her family from the town of Aita al-Shaab to the town of Ansar (Al Jazeera)

Play to relieve

In an attempt to mitigate the impact of displacement on children, humanitarian initiatives were launched to embrace displaced southern families, including a unique initiative to alleviate the suffering of children by providing toys to them in shelter centers, and using them as a means of alleviating their pain and anxiety, as these toys work to direct negative energy into positive activity. And enhances their psychological health.

Manal Al-Suwaid, who is displaced from Kfar Shuba, says that what stresses her the most is the condition of her children. She tells Al-Jazeera Net, "Children feel a great amount of pressure and fear. They cannot control their feelings, and they do not know how to deal with them. They are really the victims."

She added, "We paid very high prices for the costs of displacement, and to alleviate the anxiety and nightmares of my three children, and despite the difficult economic situation, I bought toys for them as a way to alleviate the pain resulting from displacement, and to bring joy to their hearts, even if only in a small way."

Mai Ismail: Providing educational support to children is a form of resistance (Al Jazeera)

Compensation for loss

On the other hand, the aggression against the border villages in Lebanon put the situation of students in jeopardy. As soon as the school year began, the Minister of Education, Judge Abbas Al-Halabi, issued a decision on October 16 to close all schools in the border villages, for fear of worsening the humanitarian and security situation. .

Hence the initiative of Mrs. Mai Ismail, principal and owner of the “Ismail Waked Ismail” school in the southern town of Ansar, in an attempt to contain the repercussions of the aggression on children and alleviate their suffering. She decided - with the help of her family - to receive the displaced children and integrate them into the school’s education program. She says, “We provided the children with all Supplies such as books and stationery, with the aim of preventing them from missing the school year.”

She added to Al Jazeera Net, "As a member of the Committee for the Displaced in Ansar, we promoted the initiative. We started with a small number, but it increased day after day and we reached 70 students, and we provided them with educational and psychological support."

The spokeswoman explains in the same context, "The displaced children show signs of psychological exhaustion, due to the lack of stability they have experienced, so we involve them in recreational activities, such as drawing, to enhance their expression of their feelings, and today the students have become more stable."

The school director, Waked Ismail, confirms, “We received the students for free, given the urgent need of the displaced families, especially after the Minister of Education’s decision to receive public schools for the displaced, without including private schools in this decision.”

He explains that they care about helping the displaced and securing their future, as they organized the classes according to the needs of each displaced student, and they follow up on their progress with all the academic details and follow up with the parents as well.

The school principal did not fail to express his thanks to the people of the town and the municipality, and to everyone who contributed to the success of the initiative and helped achieve it.

Ismail confirmed: We organized the classes according to the needs of each displaced student (Al Jazeera)

Psychological suffering

Umm Muhammad Al-Muaz, a displaced woman from the southern border to the city of Tyre, feels anxious despite her arrival in a safer place. Her 8-year-old son asks her questions that she cannot answer, such as “Are we going to die?”

She sadly says to Al Jazeera Net, “I try to prevent him from watching television so that he does not have nightmares in his sleep, but how can I erase the image that we have become of the children of Gaza, and the war, destruction, and sounds of bombing that he heard and experienced during our displacement from southern Lebanon?”

Clinical psychologist Najwa Banout confirms to Al Jazeera Net that “the biggest role lies with parents in how children deal with stress and fear, as they encourage them to express their feelings and fears through artistic activities, play, drawing, and physical exercises, and try to keep them away from following the news, and preservation must also be maintained.” As much as possible, their lives are as regular as sleeping and waking up.

“Their ability to recover can be enhanced through family and emotional support, promoting positive thinking, staying away from isolation, and avoiding acting as if nothing has happened,” Banout adds.

Regarding the long-term effects, specialist Banoot says that they “represent sleep disorders, aggressive behavior, a decline in their educational level, and post-traumatic stress disorder, which can cause physical symptoms, and can have a major impact if intervention is not done immediately, especially for children who Their homes were bombed."

She explained to Al Jazeera Net, "There must be a joint effort between the families and the places of displacement, to secure a stable environment free of threats, and that meets the basic needs of food, drink, and sleep, so that the support process is integrated from a physical and psychological perspective."

Receiving displaced children and integrating them into the education program as an individual humanitarian initiative (Al Jazeera)

Difficult reality

The details of daily life in the villages of southern Lebanon have changed radically since the seventh of last October, with the escalation of the intensity of the Israeli bombing of the towns. This bombing is no longer limited to remote border areas only, but has extended to homes, commercial establishments, agricultural facilities, and even private cars.

According to a report issued by the United Nations Development Program in Lebanon last December, the number of targeted villages exceeded 90 villages, and figures published by the International Organization for Migration and the Lebanese Ministry of Health on February 1 indicated that the number of displaced people from the south exceeded 83. One thousand, while the number of infections reached 686, and deaths reached 151.

Source: Al Jazeera