Abissa* and her husband, Kasim, live in Lebanon with their two sons, aged 2 and 5 years old. Originally from Syria, the couple fled their homeland to escape the hardships of a civil war that is now in its twelfth year. “The war broke out and we had to leave our home. Everything got destroyed and there were no houses left in our area. We have been living in Lebanon since 2018,” Abissa shares.

But life in Lebanon has not been easy. In 2022, the United Nations reported that of the estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, 9 out of 10 live in extreme poverty and 60 percent live in overcrowded, endangered, or substandard housing.

The family’s living situation isn’t ideal. “The place is very small, the ceiling leaks whenever it rains, and yet [the landlord] wants to double the price of rent,“ says Abissa. Adding to their housing struggles, Kasim has other challenges that concern Abissa. “My husband is deaf and mute. He was like that before but it got worse due to the fear and trauma of the war. So it made it very difficult for him to find work and our financial situation has long been terrible.”

Eventually Kasim found a job in a bakery, but his employer was abusive. “[Kasim] felt very humiliated,” Abissa says. “He worked there for three years and exhausted himself for a very small salary…He never had a day off…He would also bring ingredients at home in the evening so I could prepare them for the next day. I never got paid for that work. When I tried to complain to the owner on his behalf, he told me I should thank God that he was allowing [Kasim] to work there.”

Limited income also meant the family struggled to afford medical care. Abissa says, “Kasim went through a lot of health issues and suffered terrible back pain but he couldn’t get any treatment or medicine. I myself developed kidney stones…and I had a complicated delivery for my second son. He had to be born by C-section but it left me with a lot of debt and I couldn’t afford the post-surgery treatment and medication. It was so painful.”

But despite their struggles, Abissa holds on to the hope that one day her dreams for her children will be realized. “My main hope for the future is that my children can receive an education. I want them to have a better future,” she says.

World Renew, with funding from Canadian Foodgrains Bank, has worked with our local Christian partner in Lebanon for the last 12 years to provide food vouchers, hygiene kits, milk and diapers, and winter supplies to share Christ’s hope with families like Abissa’s. Abissa recalls, “I first met people from the church by attending one of their discipleship groups…I got to know the ladies in the group and later decided to join the church because I saw God’s hand in every situation I went through. Day by day, I felt Jesus was working in my life.”

Through the church Kasim also received support that is helping him to heal emotionally and physically. “The pastor visited my house and saw how tired, skinny, and isolated my husband was,” Abissa says. “He also was in a lot of physical pain. The pastor took him to the doctor and paid for his medication. Ultimately, it is also the pastor who found a new job for my husband. I had been praying so long about it, it was truly an answer to prayer! He is now happily working in the bakery run by the church. He is his own boss there and no one humiliates him. He is comfortable and at ease.”

In the darkness of the despair that so many struggling refugee mothers sink into as they worry about their children’s futures, food and kind words provide strength to women like Abissa–and the courage to move forward and support their families.

“I have been through a lot of difficult times, but thank God for the church and the people there that stood by us…The people at church tell me not to be afraid because God is with me. And I believe that,” Abissa says. “I tell my children and my husband that despite all the trials, God will not leave us behind…the Lord will provide. Nothing is impossible for him.”

Thank you for your gifts that extend Christ’s hope to families in crisis. Through World Renew’s partnership with Canadian Foodgrains Bank, your gifts are matched up to 4X.

*Names have been changed to protect identity