Remembering the War in Lebanon

An interview with Dr. Haider Sahib

PHOTO: IMC Dr. Haider checks for any health problems on a bus transporting Lebanese returnees at the border with Syria.

How do you remember the 2006 July war in Lebanon?
It was a crisis with many different phases. On the one side we had several weeks of a massive emergency. On the other side people needed long-term help to develop basic infrastructure that was not there even before the war. I have been involved in both – the emergency and the development phase. When the bombing started IMC sent me to Syria as part of a team that assisted the tens of thousands Lebanese refugees who came pouring across the border, as well as those who took shelter in schools and public Syrian facilities. We operated mobile clinics at the crossing points and every day thousands arrived exhausted and shocked. Many refugees were in bad health and needed our medical assistance. But they were also distraught because they had left behind family members and property, not knowing what had happened to them. People really needed our help. Some were having health problems, and even forgot to take their medications with them as they were fleeing from their country.

What about those who stayed in Lebanon?
During the bombing, my colleagues had gone to Tyre in South Lebanon and also started relief activities for the displaced families who left the south fleeing to the rest of Lebanon. In the midst of ongoing air attacks they distributed non-food items to the people and medication to hospitals. We also operated mobile clinics and assessed further needs, together with other NGOs and local authorities. IMC tried very hard to help the people on both sides of the border at the same time.

When did the IMC emergency response transform into a development operation?
It is difficult to draw this line. The ceasefire started at 8 o’clock in the morning of August 14. Those who had been displaced inside the country or fled across the border tried to get home immediately. Within hours hundreds of thousands were on the move. It was overwhelming. They were so desperate to find out whether their family members were okay and their houses still standing. It was very chaotic. I arrived a day later in south Lebanon and began assessing the damage to villages. We drew up plans to restore 15 health care facilities. But the next month we expanded to helping 90 centers. They needed our support in every aspect: rehabilitation, furnishing, equipment, and training. Parallel to this, IMC’s mental health department established activities to cure and mitigate the effects of trauma and shock of the war on the most fragile slice of the community: children. This was done through activities like child-friendly spaces, as well community developing centers. The main aim was to lessen the damage done on the child’s psyche caused by such a massive conflict. They had such fear and were grieving lost relatives and property. Child-friendly spaces were a clean, safe refuge from the unexploded cluster munitions bombs, where children could have a proper childhood - play, draw, sing, and engage in the right leisure activities for their age group.

Also, IMC assisted the vulnerable populations in the war-damaged areas by providing clean water, rehabilitating the damaged water provision units and tanks, and drawing plans for future needs for such services. It was clear that the people needed our help for much longer.

PHOTO: IMC At the Syrian border an IMC doctor examines a Lebanese child with a chest infection.

One year after the war IMC is still expanding its operations in Lebanon
For many Lebanese in the affected areas the war did not stop with the ceasefire. The majority, especially in the south, depend on agriculture. Their livestock and fields were destroyed or are littered with unexploded ordinance. With their livelihood in danger they were not able to pay for medical expenses. At the same time we realized that the conditions of the health care system were bad even before the war. We found a very underdeveloped infrastructure and a people in need of long-lasting development.

What is the focus of IMC’s work today?
Currently, we are working to rebuild the health facilities’ infrastructure in an effort to increase capacity for medical staffs in a sustainable way. We believe that the transfer of skills and knowledge are the key to sustainable development. But we also provide equipment to improve neglected and under funded-sectors like preventive health care, dental, and mother-child health care. And we are now starting a massive program to support the education of children. People think that Lebanon is a first-world place when they look at the capital Beirut, but the country has many areas that are very poor and underdeveloped. And in these areas there is much more work for us to do.

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