Overcoming cancer in an informal settlement in Beirut
25-year old Sara lives with her husband and three children in Hay el Gharbeh, a marginalised informal settlement in Beirut where our partner, Tahaddi, works. Although her husband is Lebanese, Sara is stateless. Their three children are all enrolled at the Tahaddi Education Centre - without this, they would not have access to education.
But it is not only Tahaddi’s Education centre that is impacting the family’s life for the better. Thanks to the nearby Tahaddi Health Centre, last year Sara was diagnosed with cancer and given financial help to pay for her treatment - something she could never have afforded on her own. Sara takes up the story in her own words:
“I was diagnosed with a cancerous cyst in the uterus. Manar, the Tahaddi social worker, helped me secure funding for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The treatment improved my condition significantly, and I now only attend regular check-ups to ensure the disease is under control.
I have strong faith in God. I dream of providing a better life for my children. I’m deeply thankful to everyone supporting us. Without their help and God’s grace, my children wouldn’t have an education, and I might have succumbed to cancer.”
Above: i) Sara and her one of her sons near their home; ii) Sara’s three children.