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Life in the crowded, chaotic camp felt safer at first, until violence found them again in camp. “I felt trapped… I did not know how to keep my daughter safe. I felt like no one could hear me.”

“Everything changed when Ayesha met a Caritas‑supported volunteer from her own community. “She heard my voice when I thought no one was listening. She listened to me when I felt invisible,” Ayesha says.

Asilika was 23, caring for her mother, raising her young son, and living on Taveuni Island in Fiji where many families survive on less than $10 a day. Life was hard for the 23-year-old - and her dreams for a better future felt out of reach. 

Everything changed when she was offered a place at the Tutu Rural Training Centre, a Caritas-supported programme that has been giving young Fijians hope for more than 50 years. 

She fled burning villages and armed soldiers in Myanmar. But in a refugee camp hundreds of miles away, Mumtaz would face a second heartbreak, one that left her more isolated than ever. 

As Gazans struggle to obtain the bare necessities of life, food, drink, clothing, and a place to sleep, their survival is often determined by their personal circumstances. Life is far easier for the able-bodied. 

“I endured a whole year of suffering,” recalls Gaza resident Riham, a 32-year-old teacher, who lost her leg following a devastating airstrike. “I couldn’t go anywhere. I couldn’t walk. Even going to the bathroom was a struggle. I would stumble and fall,” she remembers. 

In the early days of the war, Ahmad was helping others. He supported the emergency response for Caritas in Gaza. He helped deliver aid, from food parcels to essential medicines, and found emergency shelter for those in need. 

At night, Rumana often lies awake, wondering if she will ever leave.