Humanitarian

Forty-four days were enough. Distress and worry abated. Comfort and relief dominated. For years, Sahar*, a Lebanese mother from Tripoli, could not find the right answer to her daughter’s over-attachment to her and the persistent anxiety and fear of any change.

There is always a first time for everything. So the saying goes. A first day at school, for any child, is always an anxious, exciting time that marks a fresh start in life.

There are 14 kilometres separating the two villages. One, Majdal Anjar, sits right next to the Syrian border. The other, Qab Elias, lies at the foot of sloping mountains on the edge of the western plateau of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

Though geographically split, social challenges and predicaments unite the two towns.

The stage is all set. The actors have rehearsed their roles and put on their theatrical outfit. The audience have taken their seats. They are ready for the moment. Ready for this ‘mini-adaptation.’

Hala* is sporting a green hat and carrying a splint oak basket. Faten* has draped a shawl around her head and put on horn-rimmed glasses that befit her grandmotherly looks.

It is summer, a time usually associated with vacations, camps and long stays in tents outdoor- in the lap of Mother Nature. It is a time when people look to enjoy a well-earned holiday after a long season.