TIMON KOCH

As I encountered Syrian civilians at the Masnaa border while they attempted to enter Lebanon, I reflected on how refugee Syrian families would struggle going back when the war comes to an end. Once the war is over, many would want to return. Perhaps they would face long queues at that very same border, mirroring the challenges they faced when they fled the conflict in search for a brighter future. Unregistered children born in Lebanon to Syrian mothers, would have never seen their homeland and would not posses any legal documentation to allow them to return. Fear, a lack of knowledge, legal aids and money prevent the majority of Syrian families from registering their children in Lebanon. Thus they officially do not exist. Men are often absent and mothers remain as a symbol of homeland to the children