My Only Wish Is to Go Back Home, I Don’t Want Anything Else

When the war reached Borj El Barajneh in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Mohamad’s daily life was suddenly interrupted.

The 18-year-old, who lives with an intellectual developmental impairment, had built his life around a simple, steady routine. He went to school, sat in class with his friends, learned alongside them, and played with them.

"Before, I used to go to class, play and learn with my friends," he says. " My only wish is to go back home”.

Far From Everything He Knew

Today, Mohamad and his family are living in a school shelter in Borj Hammoud. The unfamiliar surroundings, the absence of his school, and the loss of his social world have left a visible mark.

“I used to go to school. Now I can’t,” he says. “I don’t have many friends here.”

His mother sees the change in him every day. “He was forced to leave the place he knew,” she says. “He had friends and used to go out often. Now, he no longer talks to people as much.”

For a young person with an intellectual developmental impairment, routine is not just a preference; it is a foundation.

A Message That Made a Difference

At one of the hardest moments, something shifted.

“At the beginning of the war, things were very difficult,” his mother recalls. “But when we received an SMS from the Ministry of Social Affairs about emergency cash assistance, we felt a change in our lives. Before, we couldn’t afford many basic needs. Now, we are able to cover some of them, especially food and clothing.”

That message was part of the emergency response of the National Disability Allowance (NDA), a national rights-based programme by the Ministry of Social Affairs, in partnership with UNICEF and ILO launched through catalytic funding from the EU. 

As the war escalated, the programme reached families like Mohamad’s through two forms of support: regular NDA payments issued in advance to help cover urgent needs, and a one-time emergency cash assistance of USD 100 for families of persons with disabilities directly affected by the crisis. “I truly hope this support continues,” his mother says. “It makes a real difference for families like ours.”

Still Making Plans

Despite everything, Mohamad has not stopped looking forward.

“I just want to go to school,” he says. “I feel like one day I will work, earn a salary, and help myself and my mum.”

Emergency cash cannot give Mohamad back his classroom, his friends, or the familiar routine he once knew. But at a moment when his family had very little to hold on to, it helped them meet urgent needs and keep moving forward.

The National Disability Allowance is financed by the Government of Lebanon, the European Union, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and other donors, and is implemented by the Ministry of Social Affairs in partnership with UNICEF and ILO.