Through her art: Tales of displaced women

Four women from the Middle East and North Africa share their stories of unimaginable hardships, including displacement, loss of family members, and inadequate medical care.

In 2024, wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and beyond forced millions to flee, leaving destruction and despair in their wake. Women, often bearing the heaviest burden of displacement, have had to navigate violence, loss, and uncertainty—all while caring for their families and communities.

For International Women’s Day on 8 March, four artists have brought to life the stories of four displaced women, as shared by MSF staff in war-affected zones. Through art, they have transformed these experiences into powerful visual narratives.

Ezdihar and Maya: Fear passed across generations in Lebanon

Ezdihar Al Diqar, 39, fled the southern suburbs of Beirut with her two children after an imminent airstrike warning by Israel during the war in Lebanon in September 2024. Their first night was spent on the streets before moving to the Azarieh shelter in downtown Beirut. For weeks later, she was still living in fear, as explosions continue just 2 km away. Her 14-year-old daughter, Maya, has been forced to grow up too fast, shaped by war and uncertainty.

Lebanese illustrator Maya Fidawi reflects on Ezdihar’s story through the lens of her childhood, having grown up during Lebanon’s civil war. Her artwork captures the haunting cycle of fear passed from mother to child. Here is how she illustrated the story. 

Amina and Amani: A journey of endless displacement

In the dead of night, Amina—a Syrian grandmother—fled Homs on a motorbike with her son, guiding her eight family members across a river for six gruelling hours after the announcement of the fall of the previous Syrian government on 8 December 2024. Out of fear of violence and uncertainty, many Syrians and Lebanese living in Syria crossed to Lebanon. Amina was forced to urgently leave her home and to discard their clothes and blankets along the way. While crossing the river, they arrived in Lebanon with nothing but fear and exhaustion.

Syrian illustrator Amani El Ali brings Amina’s story to life, reflecting on 13 years of war and displacement that have uprooted millions of Syrian women. Her illustration speaks to the collective trauma of those who continue to search for safety.

Khadija and Safaa: Five minutes that changed their world in Gaza

Khadija*, a mother from Gaza, believed her family was in a safe place—until the tanks arrived. In an instant, a shell exploded between them, leaving her son severely injured. At the hospital, she held back tears as her son asked, "Mama, why are they covering Baba’s eyes?" Her husband was gone. Her son, in shock, didn’t speak for 10 days.

Palestinian artist Safaa Odah, who also survived the war in Gaza, channels the grief and terror that mothers in Gaza have endured since October 7, 2023. Through her art, she captures the unrelenting cycle of loss that countless Palestinian families continue to face.

Amira and Aya: A wounded mother in Sudan

As war broke out in Khartoum, Amira* was days away from giving birth. Three days into the conflict, she delivered her baby in a hospital in Bahri, Khartoum North, only to lose him hours later. Weakened from a painful caesarean section and left without medical care, she resorted to cleaning her wound with hand sanitizer—her only option for survival.

Jordanian artist Aya Mobayedeen illustrates Amira’s silent agony, shedding light on the overlooked crisis in Sudan, where mothers face war, grief, and the collapse of essential healthcare.