It was a day like every day: cold, dreary and hopeless. But all they wanted for Christmas was a Christmas tree.
The biting cold and bitter hunger did not stop a group of Syrian refugee children from wandering about near their camp site in Lebanon’s Bekka Valley to look for what they declared was “the magical tree.”
One of the children was Christian, and the rest were Muslim, so he was their guide.
They didn’t find an exact match, but found a tree nonetheless that was small with bushy branches strong enough to decorate.
Using orange peel, empty soda cans and cut-out potato chips bags, they turned the humble tree into a colourful kaleidoscopic record of what they last had for dinner.
There were no gifts under this Christmas tree, but that didn’t dampen their mood as they danced around it and made a wish.
“It is the same wish they make at every special occasion, they want to go home,” said my friend, who works with refugees in Lebanon.
She told me this story about the search for the Christmas tree as just “one of those things” that children did.
Though humanitarian officials note that most adult Syrian refugees have stopped hoping for better days, the children keep on wishing and hoping. They are the last ray of light and love in the continuing gloomy and deadly story of war. Yet it is they who suffer the most in a crisis.
More than 7.3 million Syrian children have been affected by the conflict. That includes 1.7 million child refugees.
No wonder that Unicef declared 2014 as one of the very worst years for children.
As many as 15 million children are caught up in violent conflict in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, Palestine, Syria and Ukraine, including those who are internally displaced or living as refugees. They are even being targeted while at school, as we saw last week in Pakistan, where 132 children were gunned down by terrorists.
With Christmas being celebrated today, why not do something a little bit different this time? Why not give a few moments to someone in need?
If it is difficult to help a refugee family directly, or donate to the various agencies working on the ground, then look to see who is in need in your neighbourhood. It could be something as small as a slice of cake accompanied by a smile. Or look in your own household, and surprise a maid or driver with a gift. These small acts of kindness go a long way.
As for me, I will be spending Christmas day with my parents, and a few hours with my father at the hospital as he undergoes kidney dialysis. There are so many families with a loved one reliant on the procedure. It drains the soul and can trigger depression as dialysis lasts four to six hours a day, three to four times a week.
Often there are several young patients at the hospital and I will take in some balloons and toys for them. Children and adults, we will play games like charades – I will be acting out and the patients will guess. I will probably end up getting kicked out, but at least I will have given them some little pleasure.
Unlike so many across the world, we can be thankful for having a roof over our heads, for something as basic as socks and shoes that warm our feet, and to be surrounded by loved ones.
For those who lost someone dear, every holiday and special occasion is a painful reminder of who and what they lost. Include them in your celebration so that no one feels alone on a holiday that revolves around love and giving.
rghazal@thenational.ae
On Twitter:@arabianmau
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
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Director:Guillermo del Toro
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
