Amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, dozens of Sierra Leonean women, including young mothers, have sought refuge in makeshift shelters around Beirut.
One such shelter, a dilapidated warehouse on the city’s outskirts, now houses women like 21-year-old Jaiatu Koroma and her five-month-old daughter.
Koroma fled her home in Beirut’s southern suburbs when Israeli forces intensified bombings, forcing her to sleep in the streets before finding shelter.
The conflict, which erupted into all-out war on September 23, has displaced more than one million people, with over 2,500 deaths reported in the past month alone.
Among those affected are migrant workers from Sierra Leone who had come to Lebanon seeking employment under the controversial kafala sponsorship system. Many of these workers now find themselves stranded, vulnerable, and without basic necessities.
Koroma, like many others, spoke of exploitation under the kafala system, where her wages were withheld, and her passport confiscated by her employment agent. Jaward Gbondema Borniea, representing the Sierra Leonean consulate in Beirut, acknowledged the dire situation, stating that many citizens are stranded and in need of emergency travel documents.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is working to facilitate the repatriation of migrant workers, including 1,300 Sierra Leoneans, but the process is slow.
Volunteer-run shelters, such as the one housing Koroma, have been providing much-needed support. Dea Hage Chahine, one of the volunteers, highlighted the increasing number of displaced women seeking refuge, now numbering over 175.
Susan Baimda, another Sierra Leonean woman at the shelter, expressed her desperation to return home to her four children in Freetown. “We are tired of the fighting,” she said, voicing a sentiment shared by many of her compatriots as they wait for a chance to return to safety.
The ongoing conflict and Lebanon’s kafala system continue to exacerbate the suffering of these women, who, despite their plight, are receiving support from volunteers working around the clock to meet their basic needs.
