Her
tiny face and her posture are hard to forget, but more striking
still are her eyes, giving evidence not of carefree play but
of a brutal conflict. I met three-year-old Fatima while visiting
a temporary shelter for displaced people who have fled to Beirut.
Something drew me to her. Looking back, I think it was those
deep brown eyes. I took the initiative and kneeled down to her.
I then asked her that same question I have become used to ask
every child during my five years as a volunteer in the Lebanese
Red Cross: “Would you like to play Fatima?” The
answer, however, was not a familiar one: “Play? Now? Really?”
I never imagined that a child could forget the idea of playing,
but little Fatima have fled her village in the South, leaving
her childhood toys and cavity-causing candy behind.
It took some time to convince Fatima that Yes! We can play!
That after all, it is her right to do so. The other volunteers
had already gathered most of the kids in the shelter to remind
them that no one can stop them from playing. The volunteers
have been working on an entertainment programme to help children
in various shelters around the country cope with the stressful
situation they are facing. Through these activities, the children
are encouraged to express themselves through drawing, story
telling, participating in small plays, etc.
Little Fatima pulled my worn-out overall. I saw her smile; I
heard her laughter. For the next thirty minutes, she was again
three years old. She ran around, tried to figure out the rules
of the new game that Rana, one of the youth volunteers, was
striving to explain over the endless shouting and laughter.
It was soothing to hear these innocent sounds again after getting
used to the horrifying resonance of countless bombs and air
attacks.
Hala, another youth volunteer, showed me a list of nine schools
left to visit and gave the signal. It was time to leave, time
to say goodbye with a promise of returning soon for more fun.
Fatima followed me to the exit. “Are we going to play
again?” she asked. – Yes we will little Fatima –
yes we will!
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| Children
affected by conflict can forget how to play.The Lebanese
Red Cross Youth remind them.
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| Visiting
shelters, the volunteers engage the children in drawing,
story-telling and plays.
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