For 24-year-old Isatta Bah, life in Lebanon has been a harrowing journey. The young mother from Sierra Leone clings to hope as she waits for an exit visa to return home with her one-year-old daughter, Blessing.

Bah is among hundreds of migrant workers stranded in Lebanon after the recent ceasefire ended a 14-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. While some migrants have been able to leave, many, like Bah, remain stuck, navigating a maze of bureaucratic hurdles and the lingering effects of trauma.

“I am really tired,” Bah said, clutching her daughter in a crowded shelter on the outskirts of Beirut. “I want to go home.”

Drawn to Lebanon by promises of steady work and better opportunities, Bah entered the country in 2022 under the Kafala sponsorship system. However, she quickly discovered the exploitative nature of the system. Instead of the supermarket job she was promised, she was assigned as a caretaker for an elderly woman.

Within weeks of her arrival, her 3-year-old son back in Sierra Leone fell ill and died. Denied time to grieve, Bah fled her employer’s home without her documents. Matters worsened when she and five housemates were assaulted by a group of men after being abandoned by a taxi driver.

“Men were coming and they were cheering for us,” Bah said tearfully. The assault left her traumatized and pregnant.

The escalation of conflict in September 2023 made life even more precarious for migrants in Lebanon. Bombardments forced Bah to flee Beirut’s southern suburbs on foot with her baby. Migrants like her were largely excluded from government shelters, forcing volunteers like activist Dea Hajj Shaheen to step in.

Shaheen and others converted an abandoned car dealership into a shelter for over 200 Sierra Leonean women. Despite the dire conditions, the women have created a supportive community.

For many, returning home remains an uphill battle. The confiscation of passports by employers and the need for exit permits complicate the process. However, organizations like the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have facilitated the repatriation of hundreds of migrants.

On November 19, the airport in Beirut was filled with scenes of joy as a group of Sierra Leonean women boarded a chartered flight home. Yet, for Bah and over 50 others, the wait continues.

“I wish to go back home to continue my education,” said Bah, who dreams of becoming a computer science student. “When I watch [Blessing] walk or laugh, that gives me joy.”

As thousands of migrants remain stranded, advocates are calling for reforms to Lebanon’s Kafala system and more robust support for repatriation efforts. For now, women like Bah continue to hold onto hope for a better future, whether in Lebanon or back home in Sierra Leone.