Helping a mother to help her children in the midst of war

Lebanon | CBPFs | 2024

Lebanon, Beirut. When Mariam, 27, left her village in southern Lebanon amid escalating bombardment, she left behind her home and life as she knew it. With her four children in tow, she sought safety in a Beirut shelter.

While the shelter provided physical security, the trauma of displacement and the struggle to care for her children was a challenge. “The hardest part was leaving behind the life we had built,” Mariam said. “My children don’t understand why we can’t go back.”

Mariam was particularly worried about her two youngest boys – Ali, aged 3, and baby Hassan, only two months old. Amid the stress of moving, Mariam stopped breastfeeding the baby. She was producing less milk, and she’d also been told – wrongly – that her breast milk was less healthy if she was stressed. She worried about Hassan’s health, and about being able to afford formula.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), an international organization, is reaching mothers like Mariam who are living through very dark days with critical information and mental health support, thanks to funding from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund.

Mariam met an IOCC counsellor, who provided one-on-one counselling to dispel myths about breastfeeding. The counsellor said that even if she was stressed or producing less milk, there was no reason to stop breastfeeding altogether if she wished to continue. They helped her increase her milk supply and reintroduce breastfeeding.

At the same time, IOCC connected Mariam with a mental health counsellor to work with her three-year-old son, Ali, who was struggling with jealousy and confusion following his baby brother’s arrival. Quite a normal feeling, but made worse by the stress of having to leave home.

This support helped Mariam to address both her sons’ needs in a time of crisis. “I thought I couldn’t do it, but this has given me some hope,” explained Mariam.

The Lebanon Humanitarian Fund has allocated $24 million under its 2024 First Standard Allocation to meet the critical needs of vulnerable people in Lebanon. Of this, $10 million was specifically directed towards scaling up the emergency response for people with growing needs due to hostilities in south Lebanon.

Published November 2024

For more information: visit the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund website, and for real-time contribution and allocation data go to the Pooled Funds Data Hub.

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