Day 1: Travelling to Lebanon

I was so excited to be going back out to Lebanon that I couldn’t sleep last night. Fundraising, Alhamdullilah, was easy enough, and our group had a Zoom call where we were told exactly what to expect.

Day 1 was full of travelling; we departed Manchester at noon and landed in
Lebanon at roughly 9 pm. I reunited with Imty, who was with me on my first deployment, and met my fellow volunteers on this journey. It wasn’t surprising how well we were getting to know each other as we had all the same mindset; the same reason for being out there.

When we picked up our baggage at Beirut airport, we met the rest of the team –Wazzio, Ibby, Osama and Suf – who I met on my last deployment. It was good to see them again and didn’t feel like it had been long since the last time we’d been together. We went to the hotel to eat and used that time to further bond with our fellow volunteers. Then we rested, ready for the next day.

Day 2: Visiting Families in Akkar

Day 2 began with a briefing about what we were doing, and who we’d be helping, as well as a rough itinerary for the week. We did some ice-breaker activities and we were asked to write three intentions on a piece of paper, fold it up and hand it to the team. Leanne joined us on this day, and the whole group felt really tight and close.

From Beirut we headed north to Akkar, and our first camp. There we distributed food parcels and baskets of fresh vegetables. Once this was completed, we split into groups to do family visits, going into the tents of families and carrying out interviews to understand their stories, struggles and needs. Each group had an Arabic speaking team-member (Leanne or Osama) who would translate for us and help the family feel at ease. Our partner charity members were also there to reassure the family and provide background knowledge to help us.

One family was struggling a lot. The mother had five children, all under the age of 11. The tent was in terrible condition, and they didn’t have even the basic necessities. As soon as the meeting was finished, a senior staff member took some of us to get essentials for the family whilst we worked out how we would sponsor them. In this moment I realised how vital our work was.

The group was scheduled to visit another camp to distribute food packs and vegetables, but I personally didn’t visit this camp becauseIbby, another volunteer and I went to get mattresses and blankets for the family we met. Things like this make you appreciate the work that Salam do – the fact that they can respond immediately.

In the evening we visited the Tent of Dreams project, where the children of the camp can receive informal education as they cannot receive formal education. The happiness and warmth that we received was unreal. There were bouncy castles and slides for the children to enjoy (I had a bit too much fun on them 😂) whilst we set up iftar for the first fast of Ramadan. It sounds clichéd but it was magical being able to break our fast with the families in the camp.

As we were leaving the camp, it was very emotional. Our team members had formed bonds with the children, and their gratitude was absolutely immense.

On the bus journey back, we talked about how we would help the family that we had met, how we would push out their family sponsorship videos to our donors and convey a message to help people understand the importance of the work that was being carried out.

We return to the hotel quite late, so most of us headed for an early night, ready for the next day.

Day 3: Visiting a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Beirut

On Day 3 we visited Burj Al Barajneh Palestinian Refugee camp just outside of Beirut. I’ve been on deployment before, and I have visited a few Syrian refugee camps. Seeing the Palestinian camp was completely different. It felt more like a town or village, with small butcher’s shops, mini-markets, barbershops, a proper masjid, etc. The house/flats were stacked on top of one another, and water pipes and electricity wires crossed the street from above in an unsafe way.

We began the day with a food parcel distribution and then we distributed gas canisters. After this we made two family visits, which wereeye-opening. We learned how hard it is for the Palestinian people to find jobs or even just to live safely in their houses. Hearing how hard it is for them to provide for their families was heart-breaking 😔.

After this we headed back to the food distribution area but this time to give out TukTuks to 3 different people. They told us how this would take them out of the cycle of poverty and living on handouts, give them a way to earn money and help their own community. It was so heart-warming to see them receive the keys with genuine happiness.

After this we prepared iftar for the community; we were in the kitchens packing the food into trays. Once that was done we separated and took iftar to different families in the camp and broke our fast with them. This was my favourite part of the day, breaking bread with the beneficiaries; seeing them so happy to share their homes with us was heart-warming.

The day ended with a short reflection back in the hotel, after which we were free to do what we wanted.

Day 4: Akkar Visits and Distributions

We headed back to Akkar, where we first stopped at a bakery to bag and tag flatbread to distribute later. Then on to a camp, where we distributed food parcels and vegetables again. There was a barber giving haircuts to the boys in the camp. Seeing them check themselves out in the mirror with such big smiles was a joy. Before we left, we gave out sweets and made family visits.

In the next camp, the family we visited really had an impact on me. The mother and father were only a year older than me; they told us the story of what happened in Syria from their own eyes, what they remembered, and how they escaped. It was hard to listen to. Not only that; their baby son had a large cyst on his abdomen, and after hearing of their struggleto get doctors to help him, we were all in tears. We made a short video on the spot about the family’s needs and put out an emergency fundraiser for them the next day.

We ended the day distributing hot meals for iftar in a different camp, and then headed back to the hotel. This journey was different to the others; the bus was quieter after the stories we had heard in the family visits.

Day 5: Orphan Fun Day

We headed to Saida for the orphan fun day. We arrived at a shopping centre where there were children waiting for us – some of them were very shy and didn’t even look in our direction 😭. While we were waiting for our partner team, we introduced ourselves to the children and tried to make them feel at ease. We were paired up with either one or two children and their guardian, and we took them around the shop suggesting things for them and helping them carry the clothes that they would be buying. It was really nice to see the kids come out of their shells. The more comfortable they got, the more they showed their personalities and cheekiness. One thing that will stick with me is that as I excused myself to pray salah, three boys came up to me and said we want to pray too. I led the prayer and afterwards I got such a big hug from them. I can’t lie… that made me feel emotional.

Once we’d finished shopping, we got back in the bus. The kids had been asked: if there was one thing that they could wish for what would it be? The team had put together an amazing room where they gave them the gift that they had wished for. As the children would come into the room we would clap and cheer as they took off the blindfolds and their jaws dropped. Just to be able to take part in that was magical. The team and the charity partners absolutely smashed it out of the park. The kids were in shock because they didn’t expect to get gifts like that. At the same time, the kids who were waiting to go in and receive their gifts were in a room, busying themselves with drawings, whilst me and a fellow volunteer made paper aeroplanes to throw off the balcony!

Once we’d done this, we headed to a restaurant which had been booked by Salam and we had iftar there with the kids and families. In the back, there was a playhouse for the kids and a puppet show. I definitely had just as much, if not more, fun than the kids, jumping on trampolines, climbing the climbing frames and going down the slides 🤣. If the kids had half as much fun as I did, then that’s enough for me.

The whole day was amazing, from start to finish.At the end of the day, the kids were hugging us and crying when we left, and so were we 😢. Seeing them show their personalities and show how amazing they are, it’s hard to comprehend the difficulties they face on a daily basis… and still stay so innocent.

We ended the day saying goodbye to our charity partners, who had been amazing. Translating for us when we needed, helping us distribute aid and play with the kids, and providing insight into the lives of the refugees, as most of them were Palestinian.

Day 6: Shifaa Clinic Visit

We started the final day bright and early, heading towards the Shifa Clinic. On the way we pushed out our family sponsorship and orphan sponsorship forms as a group, and the team told us about the Shifa clinic. The clinic is situated in the south of Lebanon, close to the Syrian and Occupied Palestinian Boarder. The journey was long but the scenery was insane. The mountains, the valleys and the coastline werebreathtaking.

The clinic was high in the mountains, so the weather was much colder there. The first activity was to distribute food parcels to the locals. I’m not sure if it was the altitude but the boxes were definitely heavier this time! The smiles and Salams from people gave us such a warm feeling.

Once this was completed we had a tour of the clinic. The clinic was sponsored in the name of Ahmad Torfi, whose sister came on deployment with me previously. On that deployment she had told us his story, so actually being at the clinic was surreal. It was good to visit the clinic and understand how it supports the local community.

We headed downstairs to the assembly room where there were children waiting for us. We said our hellos and sat down with the kids, breaking down barriers by having arm wrestles, thumb wars, and, somehow, debates about football – even though my Arabic is non-existent, and their English wasn’t the best 😂. The kids were so excited to see us that some were arguing with each other about who we should sit with! We handed out an envelope of cash and sweets to each kid. After this we said our goodbyes and headed to our next job.

We got back into the bus and headed to a different area to give out fresh food for iftar to the local families. We boxed up the food that had been cooked by the local ladies, and, as the families came, we handed them out. As there were a few too many volunteers doing the same job, I found a football and played with two local boys (for what felt like a few hours). One thing I realised is that no matter the culture or the language, boys will be boys and football breaks down barriers! After I prayed my salah I spoke to the local Sheik, who explained what they do there. He was such a warm, humble person, and it was a blessing to be in his company and take his advice in the short time we had.

We headed to a restaurant to break our fast. There was more food than you can imagine! I love Lebanese and Arab cuisine, so I was in my element 😂. Plates on plates of sambousek, vine leaves, kibbeh, hummus, chicken, rice and so much more (I’m hungry just thinking about it😂). I left with such a big food coma I fell asleep on the bus back 😂.

Back at the hotel we packed our bags and freshened up, and then headed down to the meeting room for our last meeting. The staff members had little books for us to write messages to each other, and there was a final presentation followed by a video about the week. It’s crazy to think a week has gone by just like that. It feels like only yesterday we were awkwardly introducing ourselves and forgetting each other’s names 😂.

Day 7: Travelling back to the UK

Our flight back from Beirut Airport left at 5 am, so that didn’t give us much time to sleep. We got into the bus and said our goodbyes to the cameramen and staff member who was staying behind. And that was that – we went to the airport and caught our flight home.

Sitting back and thinking about it, it’s crazy that we started as total strangers and left as a family. We got on so well and the bond that you share with fellow volunteers issomething that is so hard to find. It’s the experiences you share, the memories you make, and much more. It seemed kind of scary at the start but now I know I have family all over the UK.

The Salam Charity staff are absolutely amazing people. I can’t fault one thing about them; from the first time we met, they just made us feel at ease. As was the case for me the first time, I’ll be back again for another deployment soon Inshallah!