Against all odds, Lebanese mothers still move forward. Rana's Story

01.07.2020

 

Rana is a Lebanese mother of 40 years old and living in Syr El Danniyeh, located in North Lebanon.She is the mother of three boys and one girl, and her husband is jobless.

Rana attended remotely the psychosocial sessions in positive parenting and early marriage awareness, provided in the framework of the Qudra 2 Programme in Lebanon, which aims at promoting protection measures for the self-development and wellbeing of vulnerable children and adults, from Syrian and Lebanese populations.

“I learned from the sessions how to improve the relation with my children. I felt as well extremely comfortable during the sessions, I had finally a space where I could express myself”, Rana said with a smile.

She added “The sessions improved my resilience and helped me reduce the anxiety I was feeling throughoutthe difficult times and the instability I felt during the lock down. I was as well prone to negative feelings and because of the sessions I was able to get rid of my bad thoughts”  “We carry many burdens on our shoulders and we needed someone to stand by us, to care and to listen to our stories and what we are going through”

During the Covid-19 outbreak, Rana’s daughter got engaged and her aim was to get her married as soon as possible despite the fact that she is only 17 years old.After attending the awareness sessions on early marriage, Rana thought carefully and decided to not push her daughter to get married so soon and give her more time to know her future husband before she jumps into an immature marriage.

She added, “The positive parenting sessions were extremely rewarding to me as well, I learned how to listen to my children and support them solving their problems, and especially how to not get angry on them, as our children needs constantly our love and affection”“We also learned that positive parenting is a common responsibility for both parents, and we should understand that our kids have different needs as they grow up.”

 

Would you like to learn more about this project funded by the European Union through the EU Madad Fund?

Due to the economic and financial crisis, Lebanese and other populations residing in Lebanon are facing difficult conditions. The COVID-19 outbreak added a major strain on the refugees and host communities who are faced with economic, social and health burdens.Amidst the COVID-19 general mobilization, and in order to continue the support to the beneficiaries, the Qudra Programme, funded by the European Union through the EU Madad Fund, and its partners, shifted many activities on-line. Our partner NGOs have been delivering sessions remotely to support vulnerable Syrian and Lebanese women and children.

This story was collected from a Lebanese woman who attended the COVID-19 informative sessions, psycho social support, positive parenting and awareness sessions on early marriage, with the Qudra partner Akkarouna, operating in the North of Lebanon. The sessions are being delivered by Akkarouna’s social workers, closely monitored by the NGO senior educators to ensure a smooth and safe setting.The continuous e-sessions and NGOs support they receive through our partners have been making a difference for many families going through difficult times. Our partner Akkarouna’s is delivering sessions to many other mothers like Rana and families living in Akkar in the Bekaa, and Syr el Denniye and Tikrit, in North Lebanon.