Humanitarians are not separate from the crises they respond to ¨C they are part of them. As Lebanon faces the consequences of renewed escalation, the impact is felt not only by communities in need, but also by those working to support them. Malak Safa, with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), knows this reality all too well.
You joined OCHA as Associate Humanitarian Affairs Officer just 5 months ago. What have these first months been like?
[J]oining right around the escalation meant I hit the ground running. The first twelve days alone were sixteen-hour shifts, and the learning curve was vertical.
In a strange way, it was the best professional training I could have asked for, even though the circumstances were terrible.
I am from the South ¨C born, raised, and deeply rooted in the area between the border and the Litani River. I served as national staff in Tyre, just south of the river. That land is not just geography to me ¨C it is identity, memory, and belonging.
And once again, I am displaced.
How has this shaped your life and that of your loved ones?
We left on 2 March. First Beirut for one night, then further north to Batroun. It¡¯s a beautiful town, and one reason I can tolerate being here is because it reminds me of my hometown ¡®Tyre¡¯ ¨C the sea, the light, the feeling of home.
But this is now the sixth time I¡¯ve been displaced, and this is starting to take an emotional toll on me as I see my own children ¨C who are only even six and three ¨C have already lived through more uprooting than many adults. And, while my oldest son is coping, my little one isn¡¯t adjusting too well.
Our first displacement as a family was in 2023. The war started when my youngest was just three months old. I was still on maternity leave, overwhelmed with physical changes and fear, and I took both kids to Congo, where my sister lives.
My eldest was old enough to understand that we were leaving because of war, but I also managed to turn it into a bit of an adventure for him, and that helped turn the constant moving into a passion for travelling.
At the same time, this experience made me deeply aware of that vulnerability we often talk about in our reports - breastfeeding, caring for a young child, and being pregnant during emergencies.
It really deepened my understanding of why global standards matter in the work of the UN, and how essential it is to protect mothers and children in such fragile situations.
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