Syrian refugees in Lebanon reflect on 10 years of war

A Syrian man who's lived with his family in a Lebanese refugee camp for ten years has spoken of the struggles of living in limbo, and his desire to return home. Mohammed Zakaria, who has two wives and eight children, fled to the Bekaa Valley in 2012, thinking it would be a short, temporary stay. His hometown of Homs was under siege, and subject to a ferocious Syrian military campaign.

"Now we have been here for 10 years," Zakaria said. "We are lost now. We are lost in the end."

The 53-year-old is among millions of Syrians unlikely to return in the foreseeable future, even as they face deteriorating living conditions abroad. On top of the pressures of being displaced, Zakaria has struggled to survive Lebanon's financial meltdown and social implosion. The country's currency has lost over 80% of its value.

Zakaria makes 1,000 Lebanese pounds (about 10 cents) from each gas canister he sells. But this winter, many of his neighbors in the settlement, which houses around 200 refugee families, haven't been able to afford enough gas to heat their tents. "Life is expensive here," he said. "It is so expensive even for medicine or doctors."

Zakaria described the sorrow he feels for his youngest three children, who have no memories of their home in Syria. They haven't been to school, and don't know how to read or write. "All of our memories are gone now," said Zakaria, watching his children playing hopscotch. "God willing we will die in our country," he said. "Everyone should die in their own country."