By
NINETTE KELLEY
We
were all sitting in a large living room, benches along the wall and mats on the
floor. At first there were just a few of us, but within minutes the room was
full of children of various ages running about, flopping on their mother’s laps
or distracting and soothing restless babies. Amid the action, tea and coffee
was served and stories were told of how this single family home came to house
nine more and be a refuge for 35 children. Like many Lebanese homes in north
Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and elsewhere, this one was playing host to Syrian
neighbors who had crossed into Lebanon in the past year. Individual stories are
of course different, yet there are common themes: violence in their villages,
destruction of homes, fear and the loss of ones they held dear. The living room
was full of activity but also full of loss.
Over
many months, Lebanon has seen the arrival of thousands of Syrians who have come
here in search of safety. The response has been consistently generous –
bringing out the best values of this society. Today over 28,000 persons are
being assisted by government, international and national partners. Some 75
percent of the Syrians who are displaced here are women and children.
More
than half of them are being hosted by Lebanese families in some of the most
socially and economically depressed areas of the country. Imagine sharing your
home with nine families you did not previously know. Imagine doing it for
months.
This
year, UNHCR asks us all to contemplate what we would do if faced with the
dilemma of a refugee. Would you stay and risk your life or flee and leave loved
ones behind?
The
response in Lebanon shows that for so many Lebanese such dilemmas, previously
personally faced, bring forth great empathy and support for those similarly
affected. An open door to a home is a magnanimous gesture of understanding and
compassion. As one village leader told me, “Anyone can become a refugee.”
As
we were rising to leave, a boy of 3 started to make a whizzing noise through
his clenched teeth, followed by a “kaboom!” His father explained that he was
imitating the mortars that hit his neighborhood in the days before the family
fled. Faced with this dilemma – their choice was clear.
With
the UNHCR marking World Refugee Day Wednesday, it is only fitting that here in
Lebanon we make specific mention of the support, generosity and care that has
been provided to those who have sought temporary refuge here. As with all World
Refugee Day messages we hope that next year the situation will have improved,
and that the many who have sought refuge here will have been able to return
home in safety and dignity like the nearly 4 million other globally displaced
persons who were able to do just that last year.
Ninette Kelley is the UNHCR's
representative in Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jun-21/177556-refuge-in-lebanon-on-world-refugee-day.ashx#axzz1yLGY74xp
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