World Refugee Day

Building hope: Syrian farmer Fatima Tarek Al-Ahmad’s efforts to secure a brighter future for her family

21 June 2024

On World Refugee Day, 25-year-old Fatima shares her struggles and strength as the sole family’s breadwinner, showcasing her resilience amid challenges and hard work.

Jiyeh, LEBANON – Fatima Tarek Al-Ahmad, is a Syrian agricultural worker from Hama, has been living in Jiyeh, Lebanon, for the past ten years. She found refuge with her husband here shortly after the conflict broke out in Syria. They now have two children. They fled their home country, leaving behind a life rooted in farming, a skill Fatima learned from her family.

Since arriving in Lebanon, Fatima has worked on a local farm. She manages the land, harvests the crops, and prepares them for sale, earning a fraction of the revenue. Her husband, due to an eye condition, cannot work outdoors, making her income crucial for their survival.

refugee woman — Fatima Tarek Al-Ahmad is a Syrian agricultural worker from Hama

Life has been challenging. Medical expenses are high, and the family struggles to afford necessary treatments. Her son’s lung condition once required medicine they couldn't afford, a common struggle for refugees across the country, as well as for Lebanese citizens due to country’s ongoing multilevel crisis. Exposure to chemicals in the fields worries Fatima, as she handles them with bare hands, increasing health risks.

Despite these hardships, Fatima dreams of a better future for her children.

“I want them to escape the cycle of labour and fatigue that defines our lives,” she said. “We cannot return to Syria; our home is destroyed, and there's no place for us there. As refugees, we face many barriers, but my hope remains that my children will have opportunities beyond what I can provide here.”

Fatima was one of the individuals interviewed by the ILO and its partners under the PROSPECTS programme to better understand the state of social protection in Lebanon's agricultural sector.

man and his daughter — Fatima Tarek Al-Ahmad's husband and her daughter.

In Lebanon, farmers and agricultural workers are excluded from the Labour Code and the National Social Security Fund, leaving them without access to social protection. Since 2023, under the PROSPECTS partnership, the ILO has been conducting interviews and discussions throughout the country to understand what this lack of support means in the farmers’ daily lives.

The partnership has been working in Lebanon since 2019, aiming to improve access for host communities and forcibly displaced people to education, social protection, and decent work.