Hope back: Zeinab Srour’s story

Beirut — October 16, 2024

Nine-month-pregnant Zeinab Srour from Bint Jbeil was relieved to hear her daughter’s heartbeat yesterday, after days of not feeling any movement. She received the care she needed from specialists at LAU’s mobile clinic which visited the school where she and her family are sheltering since the start of the conflict.

“When I heard my baby’s heartbeat, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The doctor gave me hope,” she said.

Srour, her husband Mohammad and their three-year-old daughter Fatima were among the one million in Lebanon who had to flee their homes and seek refuge in schools, basements and other available facilities for internally displaced people. The Srours fled from Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, to the center of the city where they now share a school courtyard with hundreds of other families.

Although the school is providing them with a temporary shelter, their living conditions are far from ideal. Srour sleeps on a thin mattress on the floor and suffers from acute back and hip pain. Her husband was able to earn a bit of income from casual work, but it wasn’t much. She can no longer afford her weekly check-ups.

Worried about the baby’s health, Srour turned to the medical team from LAU’s mobile clinic visiting the school on that day as part of the ongoing missions to cover shelters across the city. “A very nice doctor checked on my baby and gave me tips on how to maintain my hygiene in these tough conditions we are living in where running water is scarce and we can rarely wash or take a shower,” Srour said.

She received comprehensive medical care including medication, nutritional supplements and hygiene advice to follow once she returns to the school after her delivery. She was one of the 138 patients treated that day by doctors, nurses, psychologists and specialists who are available on every mobile clinic visit.