Surviving the cold this Christmas

KHADIJA’S STORY

 ‘And Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.’ Luke 2:7

This winter will be a difficult time for 70-year-old Khadija and her family. Soon they, like the Holy Family, will have a new-born to support and will have nowhere safe and warm to lay their baby. Khadija fled the war in Syria in 2014. Now she, her son, daughter-in-law and their two young children live in a refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. 

Temperatures in the Bekaa get down to -10C in the winter. Last winter part of the roof of Khadija’s tent collapsed due to the weight of the snow.

Fixing snow-damaged tents in Khadija’s camp last year.

Khadija fears the coming cold: 

‘We desperately need blankets and mattresses. My son and his wife only have two small blankets although they have two children and are expecting their third.

‘Life in the camp is becoming increasingly unbearable. Most of what we need we cannot get, even bread has become too expensive. We can’t afford wood or fuel for heating. We have to burn whatever is available, from nylon to shoes. These days, we can only eat once a day, but we thank God. Most days we can only eat bread and tea.’

The devastating economic crisis in Lebanon has led to desperate humanitarian needs, affecting both Lebanese families and Syrian refugees.

This Christmas we’ve launched an appeal to help our partners across Lebanon respond to the crisis, providing much-needed winter supplies and services.