Seven-year-old Rami fled his home in Lebanon as bombing intensified, leaving behind his school bag—and a treasured teddy bear that represented achievement, friendship, and the comfort of normal life. See displacement through a child’s eyes and discover how ADRA is helping families like Rami’s find support in the midst of uncertainty.
Seven-year-old Rami should be thinking about his homework, playing football with his friends, and choosing which colored pencil to use in his notebook. Instead, he’s learning what it means to flee home in fear.
Rami lived with his parents and his three siblings in a modest home where life was never easy.
When the bombing intensified in Lebanon in early March, 2026, Rami’s family made the difficult decision to leave their home in Douris. They sought safety in Deir Al-Ahmar, a town about a 40-minute drive away. For the adults, it was a painful but necessary choice. For Rami, it felt as though the world he knew had suddenly disappeared.
“I was very afraid of the bombing sound,” Rami says quietly, his small voice trembling as he remembers the night they left. “It was very loud.”
In the rush to escape, Rami had little time to gather his belongings. He left behind some of the things that mattered most to him, including his school bag. Inside were his notebooks, pencils, and something even more precious—a small teddy bear.
The teddy bear wasn’t just a toy. It was a reward his teacher at the Adventist Learning Center had given him for solving a difficult math equation.
For Rami, that teddy bear represented pride, encouragement, and the warm feeling of belonging in a classroom filled with friends. “I want peace,” he says. “I want to go back to my normal life and see my friends again.”
Even amid fear and uncertainty, Rami still carries hope in his small heart. He dreams of returning to a life where the only challenge he faces is solving the next math equation on the board.
