Mohamad Damaj

23-year old Mohamad was full of life. He was enthusiastic and proudly brave. He never hesitated to offer a helping hand to anyone in need. In his home town Barja, no one can fathom his loss. In his funeral, old and young bid him farewell. Someone said that Barja without Mohamad Damaj, is like land without soil or water.

He was only thirteen when he joined the workforce to help his father in construction sites. Soon enough, he became a skilled bulldozer driver, as if he's been doing it for years.

Mohamad's life was no easy ride. As soon as he would return home from work, he would clean up and get ready to pursue his dream. Hard work did not let him forgo his books.

Unfortunately, not all dreams can come true. Mohamad studied hard to earn a university degree; unfortunately, he couldn’t make it due to the drastic financial conditions he lived in. But Mohamad did not give up, and he earned a vocational degree in building and construction works.

After his graduation, he tried hard to find a decent job, but he could not find any, until he was offered an opportunity at the Port of Beirut, supervising trucks with a shipping company, for a salary of 800,000 LBP per month. He accepted the offer since he needed the money.

At the port, he was friends with everyone. Truck drivers complained to him, and it was not easy to work with so many different characters, but Mohamad was always up to the challenge, and he found a solution to every problem. His work was highly appreciated by his employers. Yet, two days before the tragedy, he told his mother he did not want to work at the port anymore, that he felt death was near, and it would be waiting for him.

On August 4, his employer called him and asked him to report to work earlier for work related reasons. It was around 6:00 PM when his sixth sense turned into a tragic reality.

After a two days' search, Mohamad was found dead in his car, covered with bodies and rubble. Mohamad died, but he is still very much alive in the hearts of his loved ones.