With the outbreak of war in Lebanon, thousands of civilians, particularly from the south of the country, were forced to abandon their homes and lives, seeking refuge in safest area. Schools, places of learning, were transformed into emergency shelters for those fleeing the conflict. Desks became dining tables, and beds were set up beneath blackboards—spaces for living, but also for hope, in a context that completely disrupted educational paths.

While schools became places of refuge, residential buildings such as apartment blocks and houses were heavily damaged by bombings, leaving visible scars on the cities and on the lives of their inhabitants.

The war not only destroyed homes and infrastructure but also severely damaged Lebanon’s already fragile educational system.

Yet amidst the ruins is a symbol of hope: the backpack. Children, clutching their backpacks, embody resilience against destruction, a desire to return to normalcy, and the hope of regaining access to education that they have been denied. Some backpacks are new, symbolising the return to learning and the reopening of schools. Others are worn, telling the stories of children who, unable to return to their villages near the border due to conflict-related dangers, have yet to resume their studies.

The image of the backpack becomes a thread connecting the determination of those who strive for a better life, for a future that continues to seek birth amidst the ruins of war. The hands clutching the backpacks are the hands of those who refuse to give up, who hold tightly to their dreams and hopes despite everything.

Every photograph is a testament to strength, a call to a tomorrow that must and can still emerge despite the scars of the present. In a context of destruction, displacement, and pain, these images aim to celebrate the resilience of young Lebanese people—their ability to persevere and to remember the value of education, even when it seems the world around them is collapsing.