The 15-year civil war was finally ending. But families still suffered from the loss of loved ones, no work and the stress from so many years of civil strife. Jima Salami of Qousayya, a village in central Lebanon on the Syrian border, had to deal with different but equally daunting issues. Her father was imprisoned leaving her mother and three siblings almost destitute. They lived in a home constructed of concrete blocks about the size of a two-car garage. Each day was a struggle with a goal of surviving and making it to the next. Yet today, 31 years later, many Lebanese – including Jima, a mother of two – will tell you they are worse off than during the war as the country is on the brink of economic ruin.