Field report from Ksarnaba, Lebanon

Divorced, left alone with four children and stigmatised by society, Fatima was on the brink of disaster until she discovered the SOS Social Centre in Ksarnaba, Lebanon.

Coping with the Stigma

Fatima has been divorced for 13 years. Bringing her four children up in the underprivileged region of Bekaa in Southern Lebanon was not easy. Her former husband, whom she has not seen in more than ten years, "has never even offered to pay a penny for his children's living costs." Fatima had to deal with the prevalent social stigma against divorced women. She had to rely on her own abilities and had to struggle to survive with her children.

"Often I would ask someone for assistance and I met a lot of people who were more interested in using me than in really helping my children," Fatima recalls. A divorced woman in this society is vulnerable. Some turn to prostitution to make ends meet, or else they would have to remarry and abandon their children.

Over the years, Fatima worked as a saleswoman in various stores and outlets, among them Marlboro and a famous Lebanese pastry chain, Sea Sweet. She managed to barely make ends meet, until it was time for her two younger children to start school.

"I couldn't pay the school fees for any of my children anymore," she remembers, "I begged the school to allow me to pay in instalments, I asked my parents and kin to help, but I met with rejection."

The school administration, however, did point her in the right direction. Although they could not offer a reduction in school fees or any other financial aid, they did give her a list of organisations that offer social assistance for those in similar situations. One of the organisations was the SOS Social Centre in Ksarnaba.

Fatima met with Samar, the social worker responsible for the SOS Social Centre in Ksarnaba and the family strengthening programme there. Samar immediately took action to help the children with their school fees. Then she asked Fatima what kind of work she would like to do. With experience in sales yet a desire not to be exploited, Fatima replied that she had always wanted to have a small shop where she could sell chocolate and soft drinks and maybe even household goods such as soap and detergent.

This was the turning point in Fatima's life.

"For the first time in my life I felt I didn't have to be ashamed of my situation, on the contrary, I felt a certain pride that I was making a living with dignity, without having to beg for assistance," Fatima says.

To boost the business, Samar started buying goods for the families living in SOS Children's Village Ksarnaba from Fatima. Recently two similar shops opened up close-by and business is slower than it was at first. To help Fatima along now that there is a drop in her income, Samar gives her occasional jobs to do for SOS Children's Village Ksarnaba. On the day of the official opening ceremony of the village, Fatima did some of the cooking for the formal dinner attended by the various guests.

Although not yet completely financially independent, Fatima is managing to cover most of her needs and the needs of her children. She regularly attends training and awareness courses offered by the SOS Social Centre in Ksarnaba.

SOS Children has been working in Lebanon since 1966 and cares for nearly 300 orphaned and abandoned children at four unique children's villages at Bhersaf and Sferai, Kfarhay and Ksarnaba. The Family Strengthening Programme at the SOS Social Centre Monrovia provides practical support to more than 2,100 children and their families through community help, training workshops and family support.

You can support children in Lebanon by becoming a child sponsor.