#### As the Syrian civil war draws to a close, families like the Labaads face the daunting reality of lost homes and obliterated neighborhoods while they seek to reclaim their lives.
### Rise from the Ruins: Syrian Families Attempt to Rebuild After the Civil War
### Rise from the Ruins: Syrian Families Attempt to Rebuild After the Civil War
#### The long-term impacts of Syria's upheaval leave many returning citizens with nothing to come back to.
In the heart of Damascus, Lubna Labaad walks through the remnants of her once-thriving neighborhood, Qaboun. The area has been reduced to a desolate wasteland after 13 years of brutal civil war. Only one structure remains untouched—a mosque, its wall adorned with a poignant message pleading for forgiveness from those who lost their lives in the conflict.
After the upheaval that led to the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last December, many, like Ms. Labaad, eagerly await the chance to reclaim their homes. “We were waiting for that very moment to return,” shares the 26-year-old mother, despite knowing their life won't be the same as before.
Though their home still stands, it's been stripped of nearly everything valuable by occupying soldiers, leaving the Labaads fortunate compared to others who return to find nothing but rubble. The scars of war run deep across Syria, with over 13 million people displaced—the largest crisis of its kind in recent history.
The struggle to return home is complicated, as more than six million Syrians fled the country, with another seven million uprooted within its borders. This has left families in desperate searches for a semblance of normalcy amidst the devastation.
As families like the Labaads survey the remains of their lives, they remain committed to rebuilding what is left and reminisce about the sense of community they once had—a poignant reminder of the cost of war and their enduring hope for stability.
After the upheaval that led to the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last December, many, like Ms. Labaad, eagerly await the chance to reclaim their homes. “We were waiting for that very moment to return,” shares the 26-year-old mother, despite knowing their life won't be the same as before.
Though their home still stands, it's been stripped of nearly everything valuable by occupying soldiers, leaving the Labaads fortunate compared to others who return to find nothing but rubble. The scars of war run deep across Syria, with over 13 million people displaced—the largest crisis of its kind in recent history.
The struggle to return home is complicated, as more than six million Syrians fled the country, with another seven million uprooted within its borders. This has left families in desperate searches for a semblance of normalcy amidst the devastation.
As families like the Labaads survey the remains of their lives, they remain committed to rebuilding what is left and reminisce about the sense of community they once had—a poignant reminder of the cost of war and their enduring hope for stability.
