Responding to an immediate need
War can turn even the smallest necessities into urgent forms of relief.
This year, Pillows of Hope produced over 5,000 pillows for displaced people across Lebanon, responding to a need that was both immediate and personal. By the time the war escalated again, many people were already reaching out to ask whether Pillows of Hope would return.
For Moukhtar Itani, Founder & Executive Officer, that response said a great deal. “People were already asking if we were starting again because shelters needed pillows,” he said. “They told us, ‘We got used to you.’ Of course, we hope no one ever has to get used to war, but it showed us that people trusted us and were counting on us.”
That trust gave the initiative momentum and responsibility. There were obstacles from the beginning, especially the challenge of securing a production space. But rather than losing time, the team used that period to prepare the operational side of the initiative so that once production resumed, it could move quickly and efficiently.
When Beirut Art Center in Sin El Fil offered to host them, Pillows of Hope was able to relaunch in a safer and more organized setting. For Ibrahim Zaraket, Operations Officer, the difficult start ultimately led to something stronger. “At the beginning, it was challenging, but we believed that if one door closes, another will open,” he said. “In the end, the alternative was even better: safer, more practical, and supported by amazing volunteers.”
Building an efficient response under pressure
One of the most powerful aspects of Pillows of Hope was the level of organization behind it. Drawing on what they had learned in 2024, the team built a clear system to document requests, track daily production capacity, and schedule deliveries accordingly. The goal was not only to produce as much as possible, but to operate in a way that was transparent, accountable, and realistic under crisis conditions.
As Itani explained, the team wanted a system that could turn urgency into something manageable. “This time, we wanted to know exactly what we could produce, exactly where it was going, and how to organize deliveries in a way that made sense,” he said. “The goal was to stay transparent, realistic, and efficient at every stage.”
That structure mattered even more because Pillows of Hope was not directly on the ground inside every shelter or displacement site. Its role was centered on production. But instead of weakening the response, that pushed the team to build a careful network of trusted actors around them. They worked through personal initiatives, organizations, and contacts they knew could deliver the pillows directly to displaced people. Requests were screened, deliveries were vetted, and proof of delivery was collected through photos, videos, and follow-up checks.
Care at the center of the response
What made Pillows of Hope particularly effective was that its operational discipline never came at the expense of its humanitarian touch. Even without being physically present in every location, the team remained deeply attentive to where the pillows were going and what they meant to the people receiving them. “Displaced families would come and tell us the pillow we made was even better than the one they had back at home,” Itani said. “That is when you realize how much something simple can matter.”
Despite the initiative’s strong organization, it still faced real constraints, especially around funding. This year, donations were often smaller and more scattered than they had been in 2024, which meant the team sometimes had to wait for enough contributions to accumulate before buying more raw materials and continuing production. Even so, they kept going. One small donation stayed with them in particular: someone sent one dollar with a note that read, “This is all I can do.”
Pillows of Hope offers a powerful example of what crisis response can look like when urgency is matched by structure, and efficiency is matched by care. It identified a specific need, responded to it with discipline and consistency, and built a model that people learned to trust. In the middle of war and displacement, that trust, and the dignity it helped protect, made all the difference.
Supporting Pillows of Hope
If you would like to support Pillows of Hope, you can do so through donations or by placing orders, both of which help the initiative continue its work and reach more displaced communities. You can find more information on their website or get in touch directly through Instagram at @deepsleeplb.
Yasmine El Berjawi
Specialized in citizenship education, youth engagement, and governance in the Arab region. She holds a double BA in Political Studies and Public Administration from the American University of Beirut (’24), with minors in International Law, Civil Society, and Human Rights. She received the FAS Mamdouha S. Bobst Award and the Dr. Randa Antoun Annual Award for civic engagement and public service.