Fear and solidarity

In a one-bedroom apartment in Beirut’s southern neighborhood of Kola, fifteen women from Sierra Leone are confined day and night. After losing their jobs, or escaping abusive households, their only source of food and shelter is the local Sierra Leonean charity which rents the apartment. Social distancing, imposed amidst the current lockdown, is a privilege they cannot afford. At night, in this 15 square meter room, they sleep all together on covers surrounded by suitcases. Some dream of returning home, while others wait for the lockdown’s end, hoping they will find work and send money to their families again.