On 14 January, 2013, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow visited some of the over 200,000 Syrian refugees who have been registered or are awaiting registration in Lebanon.
Credit/Copyright: UNICEF/NYHQ2013-0010/Marta Ramoneda Lebanon, 2013
“It’s hard to write this blog while my mind and emotions are swimming like this,” Mia blogged. "It’s been a long day visiting refugees. We were so close to the border, the Syrian flag was clearly visible. Families walk over the snowy hills at night. Some said the journey took 12 hours, others say three days. People help them to thread their way through the land mines.
“Today was an unbroken chain of stories – stories of loss, grief, deprivation, frustration, anxiety, and always the longing to go home.
“I sat on the floor in the house of the Lebanese host to two families. It was freezing. There were no windows or furniture. In the center of the room the families shared, was a small gas stove but no one had the money for fuel to heat the room. A 10 year old boy said he was sad. He is missing his father and brother who were killed. A grandmother wept.
“A young woman wished they had shoes, winter clothes, and she said it was humiliating waiting for hand-outs. “We don’t want to be assisted.” She said “We just want to return home with dignity”. A tiny girl trying to brighten the mood chirped. “My mother is here! My little sister too”.
“In a sprawl of makeshift tents, a 15 year old girl showed me her “home” crumpled by the lashing rains. She is 6 months pregnant.
“Smoke filled a nearby tent where a woman poked at some peas in a rusty tin. “No one is thinking of us.” she said. “We became the orphans of the world. Will you please send this message – ask all the people of the world to pressure the leaders to stop the war…We want to go home and above all, we want peace”."
To follow Mia’s trip, click here.
Source: UNICEF
