Lebanon / Syrian Refugees / Saleh, 31, holds one of his newborn triplets alongside his mother, Jalila, at his family’s shelter in Dilhamye tented settlement in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, on 10 January 2015. The triplets mother Amal suffered from heavy bleeding during the birth and died shortly afterwards. Saleh has been left a widower and along with the couple’s 3 previous children is now responsible for 6 children in all. Saleh holds back his grief when he speaks, “My wife was a beauty queen, when I saw her we liked each other straight away. I loved her so much and she loved me back,” he says. “She gave birth, we didn’t know what was happening inside. They brought the kids out, we felt so happy to see them. My wife and I were concerned about the wellbeing of the children, we didn’t imagine something would happen to her.” Saleh continues, “They took her to intensive care, they started asking for blood, we brought my cousins and relatives to donate but she died the moment she gave birth. “As you can see my mother is old, she can barely cope, I have six children, it’s difficult to handle things even between the two of us.” UNHCR / A. McConnell / January 2015
