After loss and displacement, Nour is helping her community recover in Baalbek

At 23, Nour Haidar has experienced the conflict in Lebanon both personally and through her work supporting others affected by it.

She was at university when she received the news that her brother, Ali, who was serving with the Lebanese Armed Forces, had been killed. He was 32 and the father of two young daughters.

“I felt as though my life had stopped,” Nour recalls.

In the months that followed, Nour found a way to channel her grief through helping others.

“Volunteering and helping people would make my brother happier,” she says.

Today, Nour supports people affected by conflict and displacement in and around Baalbek, eastern Lebanon. Trained in psychological first aid, she has volunteered for the past two years with Karama Humanitarian Association, a local organization where women play a leading role.

_{After experiencing loss and displacement herself, Nour Haidar found purpose in supporting others affected by the conflict. Photo: UN Women/Georges Roukoz}

More than food and shelter

Nour knows the uncertainty of displacement herself.

Her family’s businesses were damaged during the 2024 conflict. In 2026, heavy strikes forced Nour, her mother, father - who has a respiratory condition - and siblings to leave their home in Douris and seek safety in Ma’araboun, around 10 kilometers away. When they eventually returned, they found their home damaged.

For Nour, humanitarian assistance is not only about meeting immediate needs.

“It begins with how people are treated,” she says.

One encounter has stayed with her. A displaced mother, Mariam, arrived at a shelter with her 10-year-old daughter and two sons, aged eight and five. Before asking for food, she asked whether there were toys for her children.

“They were forced to leave their homes,” Nour says. “They did not only need food and hygiene parcels. They also needed a sense of normality.”

It was a simple request, but one that captured something easily overlooked during a humanitarian crisis: people need more than material assistance. Dignity, connection and a sense of normality also matter to how families cope and begin to recover.

Across Lebanon, more than 348,000 people remained internally displaced as of 24 August, despite the return of some families following the 19 June ceasefire announcement. In Baalbek, collective shelters that once accommodated displaced families are now empty, yet around 30 families from South Lebanon and neighboring villages whose homes were destroyed remain in private homes and multipurpose community and congregation halls across the city.

Rebuilding more than homes

Before the recent conflict, Nour was focused on her studies and her ambitions for the future. Witnessing widespread loss has made her think more deeply about what recovery means for her generation.

Some of her university friends have abandoned their studies because, she says, “they no longer see a future for themselves.”

For Nour, rebuilding is therefore not only about repairing damaged homes or restoring essential services. It is also about restoring young people’s confidence in themselves and helping them believe that they still have a role to play in the future of their communities.

“Giving up is not an option,” she says.

Women holding communities together

Throughout the crisis, Nour saw women carrying responsibilities for their own families while also supporting other women and their communities.

Her strongest example is her mother, Nadia, 60, who remained an anchor for the family through displacement and following the death of her son. Despite her own fear and grief, Nour says, her mother kept the family together and continued caring for those around her.

“She gave us strength,” Nour says.

_{Trained in psychological first aid, Nour Haidar has volunteered for the past two years, supporting crisis-affected families and helping them access assistance with dignity. Photo: UN Women/Georges Roukoz}

These experiences reinforced Nour’s belief in women’s role in sustaining families and communities. They have also shaped how she sees her own contribution.

“I faced obstacles not only as a woman, but also as a young woman,” she says. “But I was able to overcome them and prove myself through work.”

During her family's displacement in Ma’araboun, Nour also witnessed solidarity between displaced and host communities. Residents helped newly arrived families find their way around, while women checked on other women, listened to them and helped families access assistance.

“Humanity was stronger than everything that divided them,” she says.

Supporting others has given Nour a sense of purpose.

“When I started humanitarian work, I couldn’t walk away,” she says. “I realized that even a word can make a difference.”

At 23, Nour is still building her own future. Through her volunteering, she is also helping others find their way forward.

Her message to other young women is simple:

“Do not give up. Lebanon and your community need you. You cannot imagine how much of an impact you can have around you.”