There are no winners in war. Every conflict leaves homes destroyed, loved ones lost and communities torn apart. As families try to rebuild, women are often left carrying an even heavier burden. They can lose the friendships, support networks and sense of belonging that helped sustain daily life, while deep-rooted inequalities make recovery harder.
Across the Middle East, Christian Aid's partners are walking together with women and families, not only providing practical support and education but offering friendship and a place to connect with others.
Meet Laila* (not her real name) and Abir - two women affected by war with inspiring stories of connection and friendship.
Our partners have reached over 1.2 million people across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Israel with vital support, but many more still need help.
Leaving everything behind
For Laila, 45, the move came on 23 September 2024. Airstrikes intensified near her family's home in southern Lebanon and within hours she was on the road to Beirut with her family.
Her youngest son, Ali, was terrified. 'We are going to die, that's it,' he told her through tears. Laila did what she could to reassure him, 'No, we will not die. We will carry on, and you will live, grow up, and complete university for sure,' even though she'd no way of knowing if that was true.
Abir, 40, and her two daughters fled the suburbs of Beirut when conflict escalated in Lebanon. Like hundreds of thousands of others, she now lives between two homes.
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A new kind of loneliness
Displacement didn't just mean losing a home. For Laila, it meant losing a life built around family and neighbours. Mornings in the garden, coffee, her children playing freely, everyone nearby. 'Life there was full of neighbours and family,' she recalls. 'You felt seen.'
Abir felt it too, the disruption of routine, of safety and of simply knowing where home was.
Mouvement Social: A centre for support
Both women found their way to a community centre in Beirut run by Mouvement Social, a local partner of Christian Aid supported by DEC funding. Laila was invited by someone she knew, while Abir heard about it through a relative.
What they found there was more than a place offering showers, laundry and hygiene kits though those mattered too. They found a place where positive relationships are formed.
Finding happiness in small things
Laila and her son, Ali, began attending support sessions together and she enrolled in a cooking course.
The centre's kitchen is run entirely by displaced women themselves. It's become a community kitchen, a home away from home, a place to network, socialise and simply be together.
'The course also helped me feel better psychologically. It takes us out of the depressing circumstances we are going through. We go for two hours and in that time they give us joy and happiness.'
An unexpected bond of real friendship
For Abir, the biggest impact came through her relationship with Rafce, a social worker at the centre. 'When I first came through the centre's door, I saw Rafce in front of me and my heart felt joy,' Abir remembers. 'Trust is the most important thing. When someone trusts a person, it helps them to talk about everything that is in their heart.'
Rafce felt it too. As a social worker, she's trained to keep a professional distance but she found that impossible. 'I am living through everything Abir is living through as well,' she says. What began as an intro meeting became, in her words, 'lots of good things... and nice memories.'
What does the future look like for women affected by war?
Neither woman's story ends perfectly. Leila's son Ali still flinches at the sound of a plane overhead. Abir and her daughters still move between two homes. But both are finding ways forward. Laila is determined her sons will finish their education. Rafce's hope is simpler still: 'I wish for peace, peace.'
Donate to Christian Aid and provide more than just supplies to women affected by war. Help partners like Mouvement Social continue to offer the connection and support that women like Laila and Abir have found.
*Laila's name has been changed to protect her identity.
