Cilia, 9 years old, has been staying with her family in central Beirut for almost a week while they wait to be allocated space in a shelter for the displaced. The family had to flee their home in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital city as airstrikes fell. “I came here as I’m terrified from the war,” Cilia said. “They are bombing a lot. I want them to stop bombing…”. She pauses for a moment and then asks, “when will the war finish?”
I came here as I’m terrified from the war. They are bombing a lot. I want them to stop bombing
Cilia’s grandmother explains that “as soon as the children see an airplane, whatever it is, they fall apart and start crying and we get busy trying to console them.”
“For the last seven days, they have been eating mainly bread. How do explain to a child what’s happening in the country? How do children understand what’s happening?”
For children across Lebanon, as well as death, injury and displacement, the escalation in hostilities has instilled an unimaginable fear in their daily lives. More than ever before they face the harsh reality of a life filled with uncertainty and violence. UNICEF is on the ground delivering urgently needed water, health, nutrition, education services, and providing psycho-social support.
