Home Rebuild - Photojournalist Wesam Balousha

I am a Photojournalist and Sound Engineer Wissam Balousha

I want to tell you my story and request your help in building my home which was destroyed savagely by the occupation and reduced to nothing but rubble.

My house... My home.. My happy place, My retreat .. although to others may seem small in area and not much of a palace, however to me and my family it was a big piece of heaven. It was where we grew up as children, where my babies took their first steps and had their magical firsts, like taking their first step, like riding their bike for the first time.

Secondary to relentless bombing and terror inflicted on innocent civilians our big piece of heaven was reduced to ashes. A home, our memories, our treasured heaven turned to hell. The massacre destroyed everything and took from us not only our house but our loved ones, our livelihoods, our jobs, our smiles, our hopes and dreams, our small comforts and tiny joys

We had so many beautiful memories, I built my house with so much love so much care. Blood sweat and tears went into laying down every brick. All of the love and effort taken from us in seconds. All we feel now is a gut wrenching heartache, fatigue and abandonment. Homelessness is not the only issue, fighting the elements and living in tents would be ok for me but I live in an extended family. My family include, my mother, my brother and his family all of them lived in this house. A total of fifteen people and 3 generations.

Seven of my family members are under the age of twelve. Can you imagine a childhood of death devastation and destruction and having nowhere to call home. No bed to lie your head on, no home to call your own, to protect you from the cold and rain. Unfortunately we do not need to imagine because this is our reality.

We had the nicest time, in our house, our home, our heaven. There we cooked, played, celebrated birthdays. My two children were born in our heavenly home both of my children have had to witness their whole neighbourhood destroyed, their schools bombed, their homes not only destroyed but then ravaged and pillaged by snipers who took their toys and laughed and played with them.

Living through a massacre a war for a child is pain enough but to then be further robbed of a home is the most gut wrenching feeling anyone could ever imagine. We are living this nightmare.

Today we are all in a tent in a shelter. We feel cold every night, exposed to the elements this winter we have all been sick and suffered from illness after illness.

We are all lost without our home and this bitterness of loss will remain painted on our hearts. Those bricks had spirits that carried our beautiful memories. Every brick in it carried a story, a novel of love kindness care and unity of our family. We know it's just bricks stone and mortar that can be built at some point but when you live this reality and see what we have seen you will understand a new house can be built but will it feel like a home, will those bricks carry our old memories. The answer is no. Even if we build a new house we lose .

We'll have to build new memories in the house but will we have a house. We will if you lovely people get together and help us.

Memories of the past will always haunt us .. The fear will remain in our hearts and we will feel the bitterness of loss again because of the situation in which we live in. I really hope that this nightmare will end and peace and tranquillity will reign, and I certainly hope that I will have enough time and enough years of life so that I can with your help rebuild again and make some new memories for my children.

This won’t be easy, this won’t be quick but with your help and humanity we can maybe have some hope of a future together not dying in the cold in a tent feeling sick and homeless and broken.

May god bless you for just reading this. As hard as it is we believe that maybe one day we will have a home and your kindness and humanity is what is feeding that belief.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my story and for helping in any way you can.

Best regards and eternal blessings

Wissam