1. Home
  2. Middle East and North Africa
  3. Lebanon

Displaced kids taste normal life

[Lebanon] Around 160 displaced children find respite in Hoops Sports Club in Beirut. [Date picture taken: 08/05/2006] Marie Claire Feghali/IRIN
Around 160 displaced children find respite in Hoops Sports Club in Beirut.
Children’s laughter provides a welcome break from the monotony of downtown Beirut, where the only sound is the continuous humming of warplanes passing over and the occasional explosion when a bomb is dropped. Four-year-old Malak sat quietly in a corner blowing soap bubbles while her eight-year-old sister Kauthar jumped on inflatable toys. They are among 160 displaced children who have been sharing a playground for a few hours in Hoops Club. The colourful sports club is owned by Jassem Kanso, a famous Lebanese basketball player, who felt he would do what he could to help these kids have a normal day. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party with a military wing, began on 12 July after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon has so far killed 933 people, injured 3,222 and displaced 915,752, according to the Lebanese Higher Relief Council. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has killed 89 Israelis, injured hundreds and displaced tens of thousands, according to Israeli authorities. Hoops Club offers kids the chance to have some fun and forget about their tragic circumstances. Kanso provides every one of the children who come to play with a special T-shirt and a meal. “As sportsmen, it’s our duty to help all those in need. Some of those children are living in terrible conditions, and they all deserve to be happy,” he told IRIN. “All of them are welcome, and I do my best to provide them with all they need here. They can even take a bath if accompanied by their supervisors.” Yet as much as Hoops can do for the kids, shoes are not yet on offer. Almost all of them play barefoot on the green asphalt. “We couldn’t buy them any shoes,” said Ryan Ismael of the Samir Kassir Foundation, which, named after an assassinated journalist, pushes for freedom of expression in Lebanon among other things. Ismael told IRIN that the foundation was managing the needs of displaced people staying in five schools in Beirut. The children going to Hoops, who originate mostly from the heavily bombed south of Beirut, stay in two of these schools with their families. A private bus company transports the children from temporary shelters and schools to the club every day for free. “We called them, and they immediately agreed,” said Ismael. “It’s amazing how people are helping each other in this difficult situation.” Also helping are the sports teachers, all volunteers. Because the boys’ team had been losing every running race to the girls, Coach Wasim sneakily helped them defeat the girls in the last session. “It’s ok, this is war and they’ve already lost enough,” he said. MC/ED/MW

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join