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The recent crisis in Lebanon displaced thousands of families, placing immense pressure on both displaced and host communities in Saida and surrounding areas. In response, a women-led community kitchen, managed by Mouvement Social and supported by UN Women through the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), was established to address the humanitarian needs of crisis-affected families while bringing together women from displaced and host communities.  "When we were displaced from the far south, everything changed," says Fatima Dakik, who fled her home with her family to Saida during the crisis. With her father unable to work because of health problems, Fatima suddenly found herself responsible for helping her parents while adjusting to life away from home.When she heard about the community kitchen in Hlaliyeh – a municipality of Sidon in Lebanon – she saw more than an opportunity to earn an income. "I wanted to be part of something that could support people," she says. "I was able to support my family while doing something meaningful for others."Each morning, Fatima joined the other women to prepare and package hundreds of hot meals for displaced families and vulnerable households. As the days passed, the kitchen became more than a workplace. "Maybe the war separated us, but this kitchen brought us together," she recalls. "At first, we were formal with each other. Then we became like sisters."Working alongside women from diverse communities challenged many of the assumptions she had carried. "Before, we didn't really know each other," she says. "But when we worked together, we realised our worries were the same. We all wanted to live with dignity and peace."Beyond the humanitarian needs, the large-scale displacement also placed pressure on host communities and, in some areas, revived long-standing sectarian tensions and grievances between different groups in Lebanon. By bringing together women from displaced and host communities to work towards a shared purpose, the community kitchen created a space for daily interaction, helping to build trust and strengthen relationships at a time when communities needed them most.For Fatima Kashouri, who was displaced from Nabatieh with her family, the kitchen offered something she had not expected: a sense of belonging.In the early days, everyone arrived carrying different and challenging experiences of loss and uncertainty. But the routine of working together – starting the day with coffee, preparing meals, and sharing stories as they worked – gradually brought the women closer.One conversation, in particular, has stayed with her. "One of the women was talking about the home she had lost during the conflict. Suddenly, we realised several of us had lived through the same experience. We cried together for a while, then went back to preparing the meals," she recalls. "That was when I understood that shared pain can also bring people together."Over time, colleagues became friends. They celebrated birthdays, checked in on one another when someone was ill, and stayed in touch even after work. Looking back, Fatima believes these everyday connections can have a lasting impact beyond the kitchen. "This is how initiatives like this begin – with ordinary people," she says. "When we build a relationship with someone who is different from us, I think we take away a little bit of the fear."  Heba Hamadeh, who was displaced from the village of Toul, still remembers the day one of the women had to leave work to attend divorce proceedings. Without hesitation, everyone stepped in to cover her tasks. "No one even thought twice," Heba recalls. "We simply helped each other. That's what made this place special."For Heba, moments like these gradually changed the way the women saw one another. "When you work together every day, you discover that what you have in common is much greater than what separates you," she says. "Understanding each other reduces fear far more than keeping our distance ever could."Looking back, Heba believes the experience demonstrated that peace begins long before formal dialogue. "It starts in everyday life," she says. "When you work together, solve problems together, and share the same experience, trust grows naturally and fear begins to fade."While community kitchens are often viewed primarily as food security interventions, UN Women has intentionally integrated peacebuilding and social cohesion into this work since 2024. By creating spaces where women from different backgrounds work side by side toward a shared purpose, these initiatives foster trust, strengthen relationships across communities, and demonstrate how everyday collaboration can contribute to social cohesion while meeting urgent humanitarian needs.  When families displaced from Nabatieh sought refuge in her home, Sahar Ramadan witnessed the crisis from a different perspective. Living in Saida, she welcomed displaced relatives into her house before later joining the community kitchen, where she found another way to support families affected by the conflict. "I felt it was a chance to be part of something meaningful and help people during a difficult time," she says.For Sahar, the kitchen gave women a meaningful way to support their communities during one of the most difficult periods of the crisis. "Each of us came carrying our own worries," she says. "But when we worked together, we focused on helping others. That gave us strength too."Looking back, she says it wasn't only the meals they prepared that brought the women together. "When women from different communities work together every day, something beautiful happens," she says. "You laugh together, you share the hard days together, and little by little you understand each other better."For Sahar, the experience also reaffirmed the vital role women play in helping families and communities navigate times of crisis. "Even when women are carrying their own burdens, they continue supporting their families and the people around them," she says. "They try to ease someone else's hardship and give people a reason to hold on to hope. That's what I saw every day in the kitchen." Today, many of the women continue to participate in women-led community initiatives and peacebuilding activities, carrying forward the relationships they built in the kitchen. What began as a humanitarian response has become a foundation for stronger community ties, demonstrating how everyday acts of solidarity can help rebuild trust in times of crisis.The initiative was implemented by Mouvement Social with support from UN Women through the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), funded by the German Embassy in Lebanon.