As the New Year fast approaches and temperatures plummet, millions in the MENA region are seeking comfort in the safety of their homes – equipped with seasonal snacks, running water, and heating systems. These are all privileges that can easily be taken for granted, but for Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, the reality of winter is far more daunting. Known for its intense summer heat waves, Bekaa’s winters are just as harsh in the opposite direction. Transitioning to …
Category: Beneficiaries
More than a decade after the Syrian crisis broke out, Syrian refugees in Lebanon are facing as much precarity as ever. Per a survey conducted jointly by UNHCR, WFP, and UNICEF, it is estimated that 90% of Syrian refugee households live in extreme poverty and are on less than half the Lebanese minimum wage. The dearth of employment opportunities stems in large part from the host country’s severe socio-economic and financial downturn due to the fuel crisis, the Beirut port …
I’ve seen many refugee stories during my work with UNHCR. Some were tragic and sad and others were full of hope and resilience, but the story of Um Mustafa will be hard for me to forget. Imagine the suffering that she could be passing through during this winter. First, I would like to send Yazi my sincere wishes that she could soon meet her son sound and safe. Being separated from him had left a lot of sadness and pain …
“Temperatures here are scary [during winter]”, says Hassan, a Syrian refugee father in Lebanon. After being forced to flee his hometown during the Syrian crisis, he is one of the 339,473 Syrian refugees currently residing in Bekaa Valley, which experienced its worst snowstorm in decades earlier this year and is known for its acutely brutal winters. In preparation for this, Hassan has spent his days working in the fields to provide for his family – to little avail, “This year, …
Despite losing her father at a young age, 45-year-old Syrian refugee Salha Tammo looks back fondly on her life in Aleppo before the war, when she was debt-free and close to her brothers who provided for the family. Nowadays, though, her situation could not be more different. After being forced to flee her hometown, she has lived in a camp called Basirma in northern Iraq for nine years, where she is now the sole caregiver for her elderly mother (age …
For Om Saker, the last seven years have felt like a lifetime. After an ISIS invasion in 2015 brought war and persecution upon her hometown, she was forced to flee Hatra, Iraq and live in displacement camps for three years. She managed to return in 2018, but the life she once knew had gone: her husband went missing, making Om Saker the sole provider for her three children: Hiba, Nada and Saker; she tragically lost her 6-month-old daughter Sada during …
During the winter months, people forced to flee are faced with increased hardships and costs. As temperatures drop amid extreme weather, they struggle to meet basic needs like heating their shelters, buying warm clothes, and cooking hot meals. When people think of winter, they often associate it with thick clothes, family gatherings around fire, and a warm evening meal. But the reality is completely different for thousands of vulnerable refugees and internally displaced families in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and …
After a harrowing winter experience last year, Shatha’s comments are anything but hyperbolic. They are rooted in a legitimate, deep-seated fear of re-witnessing her mattresses, carpets, and bed covers destroyed due to overflooding. She is extremely worried about her 6 family members including sick elderly and school-age children lacking the proper warmth to sleep through 90 nights of bitter cold. Shatha is the sole provider for her family: “I am responsible for providing everything for my family, including food, rent, …
Current Situation Following the first reported cholera case in Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) declared a cholera outbreak on 6 October 2022. Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingesting contaminated food or water. It can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, and health care. Vulnerable populations living in inadequate shelters with limited access to basic services are at heightened risk to be exposed to cholera. This includes refugees living in informal …
Since June 2022, Pakistan has been suffering from extreme monsoon weather. As of September 1st, rainfall patterns in the country stand at 2.87 times the national 30-year average. This has resulted in massive flooding and landslides – with devastating effects on human life, property, and infrastructure. To date, 80 districts across Pakistan have been declared ‘calamity-hit’ by the government. These figures remain in flux due to the ongoing weather changes, and the number of calamity-declared districts is only expected to rise. Having already possessed one of the largest …
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