A British mother whose daughter was murdered by a taxi driver in Beirut has marked what would have been her birthday by supporting child refugees in Lebanon to join a fun run and feel like kids again. Rebecca Dykes, known as Becky, had been working on refugee projects in Beirut when she was killed in 2017.
Her mother Jane Houng founded the charity Becky’s Button in her memory, distributing the world’s smallest personal safety alarm to vulnerable groups of people in the UK and elsewhere. With the support of the charity, 35 young refugees and five teachers from Bourj Hammoud Adventist Learning Centre – a small non-profit school in the Lebanese capital – were able to take part in a 5k fun run linked to the city’s annual marathon on May 1, when Becky would have turned 38.
Jane said: “My Becky was the manager of projects for Syrian refugees at the British embassy. Her birthday coincided with the run. I imagine her smiling in heaven.” The charity covered the children’s transport costs and race registration.
The school’s American principal Alexis Hurd-Shires said: “These kids don’t have the funds for basic living – rent, food, medicine – much less disposable income to do something as simple as taking a bus somewhere. In Lebanon, they’re looked down on for being Syrians. But during the Beirut Marathon, they put on a race shirt and become indistinguishable from everyone else. They’re not a refugee, not a Syrian. They’re simply a runner.”
The Beirut Marathon Association – whose rallying cry “One heart, one race” captures the spirit of collective hope – continues to be a unifying force in the city’s often divided landscape.
The school, which opened in 2013, was founded in response to the crisis in Syrian refugee education access – nearly half the refugee children in Lebanon do not attend school due to ongoing regional instability and overcrowding. The ALC currently has a waiting list of more than 400 families — representing at least 1,000 children. The school principal added: “Most families live within walking distance from the school in apartment buildings that are just a single room, sometimes with the toilet and kitchen sink in the same room that the children sleep and spend their day in.”
She said most of the runners had never participated in a public event before being supported by Becky’s Button, adding: “At least 80% of our students never leave Bourj Hammoud unless it’s for something the school provides. This kind of day means everything.” Thirteen-year-old Rawad said: “I felt happy because I was able to do something I really enjoyed but my financial situation would not let me do on my own.”
Mariam, 12, added: “I felt happy and proud that Becky’s Button believed in us.” The charity’s Beirut representative, Karim Kattouf, accompanied Jane to Windsor Castle last December when she received the new Elizabeth Emblem in her daughter’s name from King Charles. The award honours British people killed in the line of public service. Becky’s Button recently began providing the personal alarms to teenage girls at the school.
You can support the charity at: Becky’s Button