Staying connected during a COVID-19 lockdown
I enjoy the human interaction, the way people talk to me and trust me with their problems, the way they open up and speak out their sorrows, misfortunes, joys and dreams. I have been working with Medair for a year and a half now, and I don’t see myself changing my...
Syrians are not Home Yet
Mazen is a Syrian refugee now living in east Amman, Jordan. He lives with his wife and son, crowded in one room on the roof of a shabby building, struggling to make ends meet. Mazen was badly injured in Homs, he suffered from burns all over his face and hands, and...
We Live in Hope
Ever since 57-year-old Amina* and her husband Asif, 63, fled violence in Myanmar, they have only had one wish: “I want to go back. I was born there, it’s where I have lived my whole life.” says Asif. “I am here, but my soul is still beyond those hills,” adds Amina,...
Adapting cash assistance during COVID-19
The pandemic forced our teams worldwide to reconsider how they interact with communities. In Afghanistan, cash-for-work activities were set to begin in the Central Highlands in April. People would have needed to work in close proximity as they built trenches and dams...
Beirut explosion: “I thought the building would collapse”
Curt Tyler, Country Director in Lebanon, was in an elevator on August 4 when the explosion happened in Beirut. He was excited to be reunited with his wife after being separated for five months because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. But their plans to enjoy a couple...
Switzerland supports Medair Madagascar’s COVID-19 response
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Medair has deployed two emergency response teams in Toamasina, eastern Madagascar, to implement infection prevention and control measures within health facilities. These measures support the government’s...
Oh, My Beirut
Hiba Hajj Omar, Medair’s Communications Officer in Lebanon, was part of the initial team assessing the damage. She reflects: I still can’t believe what I saw. No words could do my feelings justice as I walked the streets of Beirut two days after the catastrophic...
Medair Statement on 2016 incident report in South Sudan
In 2016 a member of our South Sudan team reported an incident of sexual harassment. This incident was the subject of an article published by Devex on 10 August 2020. We were deeply saddened at the incident that had occurred in 2016, and to recently learn that the...
Remembering Sinjar
Six years ago, 03 August 2014, I posted a photo on my Facebook page of a cute little frog that I found on my garden chair. He was pale grey and quite small. I thought he looked like a piece of gum. I called him Wrigley. On that same day, thousands of miles away in...
Returning to Yemen
In Yemen Medair teams travel up to four hours to reach communities with health, nutrition, and water, hygiene and sanitation services. Today I was one of the first international staff members to fly back into Yemen on a UN chartered flight, since borders closed to...