'I hated borrowing money from people.'
Sitting outside his makeshift tent in Central Bekaa, 52-year-old Hamid smiles as he tries to hide his agonising back pain. As his son, Abdul Aziz, helps him head into the tent, Hamid talks about their life back in Syria.
“We were very scared of the armed groups,” he says. “But, more importantly, we were terrified for our children. My oldest son Mohamed, 25, was kidnapped and wasn’t given anything to eat for six days. Although he was released after a week, that was the breaking point for us. That’s why we left Homs.”
When the family of seven first arrived in Lebanon, they only had USD 33 and another USD 400 which they borrowed from their relatives. While they were registered with UNHCR and received the monthly food assistance, they still weren’t able to make ends meet. “All we could afford was rice, sugar, tea, bread, oil, coffee, flour, lentils and wheat. If we were lucky, we were able to have chicken or beef once a month,” he remembers.
Each month, Hamid paid USD 370 for rent, electricity, water, medicine and transportation. On top of that, he owed the supermarket USD 118 for hygiene products and food. Unfortunately, due to his severe back pain along with hypertension and abdominal pain, he’s been unable to work.
As a result, his sons started looking for jobs to support the family. Mahmoud, 17. He now works in construction on a part-time basis. “One day, I hope to go back to school and learn so that I can have a good future,” says Mahmoud. “I know I can’t because I’m obliged to work and assist the family. It’s hard work. My income isn’t a lot and can’t cover everything.”
Hamid stays silence as he tries to fight back his tears. “Don’t make me cry. Their futures are destroyed. Where I was...where I am now...my sons shouldn’t be like this. I was travelling from Jordan to Syria, from Lebanon to Syria in order to bring money back to the family,” says Hamid. Last month, Mahmoud came home and had severe pain on his fingers from carrying the stones. My plan wasn’t like this - now my sons work and I don’t.”
It’s clear that the family was about to reach their breaking point. From November 2015 to February 2016, World Vision gave the family USD 147 cash assistance from Fons Català de Cooperació per al Desenvolupament (FCCD). The grant is intended to provide the most economically vulnerable Syrian refugee families to survive during the harsh season of winter and help them meet their basic needs.
Hamid smiles as his son Mahmoud holds up a text message from World Vision notifying the family of the news. “I could still remember the day I got the text about this extra cash. Psychologically, I felt relaxed...relaxed...relaxed. The only thing I thought of was that I could finally pay off my debt. That was my priority because that’s how you treat people - that’s my honour code,” says Hamid.
For Hamid, the assistance made a huge difference. Once the supermarket debt was paid for, he knew that if he ever needed to borrow again, he would be able to. He used the remaining cash to pay for rent and more importantly, as winter arrived, purchased wood for heating.
Although the grant has now ended, Hamid smiles and takes a deep breath. Thanks to the FCCD grant which has helped 70 households, for the first time since they fled war, he’s no longer obliged to shoulder the burden of debt, a hidden dilemma among more than 90 per cent of refugees. “I hated borrowing money from people; being offered money as assistance is one thing but having to borrow and beg is another,” he says.
The rest of the family sits quietly in the corner and looks to him with admiration and respect. “I wouldn’t be able to look at my sister or the supermarket owner in the eyes if I couldn’t repay them. The grant helped us – it’s really covered our needs. For now, my sons will continue to work. Ultimately, I just want a good future for my children but it now depends on God,” adds Hamid.