Dalal Al-Sawan, born in 1992 in the countryside of Homs, grew up in a large and very strict family that denied women their basic rights. She completed only her elementary education, as the rigid traditions of her environment deprived girls of the freedom to choose their future, believing that a woman’s role was limited to marriage and childbearing.
Dalal spent her youth working alongside her parents and siblings in agricultural fields until she was married at the age of nineteen. The marriage, imposed on her by custom rather than choice, brought her neither stability nor peace. Her husband was uneducated, harsh, and abusive both physically and verbally. Living in her husband’s family home, Dalal endured years of isolation and suffering, cut off from her loved ones and stripped of her sense of dignity—like a bird trapped in a cage.
When the war in Syria erupted, Dalal fled with her husband and children to Lebanon, eventually settling in Zahle. Reflecting on that painful chapter, Dalal shared:
“I thank the Lord for the war, because it opened the door of my prison and allowed me to fly free. Even though life was unstable, I finally breathed away from the suffocating strictness of my husband’s family.”
In Zahle, Dalal worked in agricultural fields to support her children, while her husband worked with livestock. One day, he contracted brucellosis and returned alone to Syria for treatment. Since then, he has disappeared completely, leaving Dalal to face life as the sole provider for her family, burdened by responsibility, uncertainty, and growing health concerns of her own.
As the pressures of life mounted, Dalal’s physical health began to deteriorate. Persistent pain and fatigue became part of her daily struggle, yet medical care remained out of reach due to high costs. It was during this difficult time that neighbors invited her to attend Bible study meetings at Heart for Lebanon, where she found both spiritual comfort and practical support. Through these visits, Dalal became acquainted with our medical clinic and began receiving regular medical consultations and essential medications.
“I recently visited your medical clinic, where the specialist doctor performed an ultrasound for me; something I could never afford elsewhere.”
The imaging test revealed that Dalal suffers from a uterine fibroid, a condition that requires medical follow-up and surgical intervention. For Dalal, this diagnosis was both frightening and relieving: frightening because of the surgery ahead, yet relieving because, for the first time, her pain had a name and a path toward healing.
