“I want to go home,” Kenyan Eulita Jerop tells the BBC from Lebanon, where she works as a domestic worker.
But the working conditions make it difficult for her to leave, despite fears of all-out war in the country.
She is terrified by the unfamiliar sounds she hears above the city on the outskirts of the capital Beirut.
The 35-year-old has been working there for 14 months.
“It was so scary. We were told it wasn’t bombs, it was (planes) breaking the sound barrier,” she said. “But the sounds were so loud.”
She adds that her panic is shared by many others in her WhatsApp group with housekeeping colleagues.
The loud bangs in the sky came from fighter jets, and there are concerns that they could be a harbinger of full-scale war.
Israel and the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah have exchanged fire across the border almost daily since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, leading to the Israeli invasion of Gaza, aimed at eliminating Hamas.
Hezbollah, a political movement and Iranian-backed militia, says it attacks Israel in support of the Palestinian people.
The shells have fallen mainly in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, but there are concerns that the rest of Lebanon could become involved if the conflict develops into a wider regional struggle.
The US, UK, Australia, France and Canada have all issued official advice to their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.
But for some it is easier to get out than for others.
Ms Jerop said it is common for many employers to confiscate their passports upon arrival.
Even though domestic workers have a passport, they still need an exit visa to leave. These documents must be approved by their boss.
This is allowed under the country’s ‘kafala’ (sponsorship) system for foreign workers, which employs an estimated 250,000 people.
“Kafala” gives individuals or companies permits to hire foreign workers. This means that their immigration status is entirely dependent on their employer and they have limited rights.
Employers can abuse their position and many women are overworked, underpaid and physically abused – although this is not the case for Ms Jerop.
Despite calls for sweeping reforms, the system still exists in several Arab states.
Daniela Rovina, communications officer at the International Organization for Migration, told the BBC that under international law a person should be allowed to leave a country if conflict arises.
In the case of Mrs. Jerop, her employers want her to continue working in Lebanon.
“They say that the situation here in Lebanon has been going on for years and that there is nothing to worry about,” she says. “But for us, the tension is high. We are not used to these (bomb) sounds.”
But even with papers, Mrs. Jerop and her housework colleagues face other challenges when they have to leave.
“There are only a few flights available and they are very expensive,” she says.
Flights to Kenya cost up to $1,000 (£770).
Banchi Yimer, who founded an organization that advocates for the rights of Ethiopian domestic workers, says the average monthly salary used to be $150, but since the cost of living crisis hit Lebanon hard, “many don’t get paid at all.”
“Every day we get calls from women who are in panic… they ask us if we have an (evacuation) plan, if we can do anything about it.”
Chiku, another domestic worker from Kenya, whose name we have changed to ensure her safety, cannot afford the flight.
She has been living in Baabda, in western Lebanon, for almost a year.
“I personally would like to go back home. But the tickets are so expensive,” she says. “And my mom and dad can’t afford that either.”
She has been living in fear for the past few weeks, but like Mrs Jerop, her employer has told her she must stay.
“They say I can’t leave because I haven’t finished my contract,” Chiku says. “But is this contract more important than my life?”
The Lebanese Ministry of Labor has not yet responded to a request for comment from the BBC.
Kenyan authorities say they will put an evacuation plan into effect if war breaks out.
Roseline Kathure Njogu, who heads diaspora affairs for the Kenyan government, told the BBC that the department can issue emergency travel documents to people without passports.
She added that the Kenyan government can operate emergency flights.
“We have about 26,000 Kenyans in Lebanon, and 1,500 have registered with us for evacuation,” she said.
But many want to leave right away.
Ethiopian government spokesman Nebiyu Tedla told the BBC they were “preparing contingency plans to evacuate diplomats and civilians from Lebanon if necessary”.
However, Ms Banchi stresses that even before the Israel-Gaza conflict, there were many Ethiopian women stranded in Lebanon who were desperate to get away.
The collapse of the Lebanese economy in 2020 left many Ethiopian domestic workers without jobs.
“Many cannot even afford rent or medical care, let alone a flight home,” she says.
While foreign embassies are still working on evacuation plans, many feel abandoned by their governments and are left to fend for themselves.
Chiku is trying to save money to pay for a flight home.
“But what about the others who can’t?” she asks.
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