Warde*
From Deir Al Zahrani, Nabatiyeh
"Every flower has a story and a name, and I care for them like my own children."
Warde couldn't hold back her laughter as she told us that when she left her home for the first time right after the latest escalation of the Israeli war in Lebanon, she took blankets and pillows with her to guarantee a minimum of comfort for her family – her husband, three daughters, and a son. The family remained in their southern home for 18 days amidst the roar of Israeli warplanes and missiles, until an airstrike struck directly behind the house, leaving people dead and injured. Warde spoke of her children's suffering during displacement: their disrupted education, a feeling of hopelessness away from their home and village, financial hardship, and the loss of their livelihoods, especially since this was the second time the family was displaced during this war. They sought refuge at a shelter in Jiyeh, Mount Lebanon. The Israeli strikes shattered the windowpanes in Warda's home in Deir Al Zahrani, but she refuses to replace the broken glass on one of the windows because it reminds her of a neighbour who used to pass by their house every day before he was killed in the war. Warde deeply misses her garden, filled with the scents of roses, Brugmansia, and bitter orange blossoms, and she longs to return home to plant the flowers she bought and cared for during her displacement. Warde remains displaced in Jiyeh, far from her village.
*Name have been changed