Protect 120 Refugee Children and women from Syria

Background during and after the implementation of the project;

It became clear how fragile the health system was in most countries of the world, including those that were ranked advanced in various fields. The general situation in Lebanon is ominous, with political divisions, economic collapse, the debt payments of foreign debt and the great benefit in the face of the Corona epidemic.

Lebanon has recorded 861 cases of coronavirus, which has caused 25 deaths in the country so far. The Government has decided to renew and impose a daily curfew from 7pm to 5am as part of measures and set to extend a countrywide lockdown by two weeks until June 6 to combat the spread of coronavirus. The rates of commitment to prevent mixing and leaving houses vary from region to region where life seems very normal in most areas in terms of large numbers of people in the street and banks! The daily report shared by the Ministry of Health shows that the number of tests achieved until today reaches 10,808 while Lebanon is receiving 4 flights from outside including Lebanese students, special cases especially from the countries that categories as epidemic countries!

The Syrian refugees are on the mandate of the UNHCR while the Palestinian refugees are exclusively served by The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. UNHCR estimates approximately 1 million and half displaced people in need across the country and having a very strict restrictions on   entering the country since 2015, as well as hundreds of thousands of long-term Palestinian refugees and asylum-seekers.[1]

UN reports state that 80% of the 215,000 Syrian households in Lebanon are existing below the poverty line and more than half live in sub-standard conditions in overcrowded buildings and abandoned warehouses. Amnesty International has reported that Syrian refugees within Lebanon are experiencing an “increasingly hostile and xenophobic environment”.

While According to UNHCR, the number of registered refuges reaches 1500.000 individuals[2] distributed all over Lebanon; 35% are in North Lebanon, 34% in Bekaa, 18% in Beirut and 13 % in southern Lebanon and more than 87000 are on the waiting lists.

Naba’a Achievements; During the last period, The most highlighted achievements during the last period;

-          Distance learning is one of methods applied by most NGOs, Governmental schools UNRWA and INGOs in working with children and parents from the beginning of March until now (med April 2020), while we are now in the phase of evaluating that experience to plan for May.:
we are new to this method , but trying to find our way without doing Harm , investing in the training conducted by the partners ( SCI – UNICEF .. ) ensuring better educational opportunities for children during COVID – 19 pandemics

-          Providing 180 children aged 4-6 years in EL-Buss, Rashydieh and Einelhlwe camps with a friendly environment that insures their healthy, educational and psychosocial development knowing that 120 out of them will be enrolled in KG2 and KG3 while the 60 children aged 6 years are referred and followed up in their UNRWA schools.

-          360 parents and caregivers motivated to be engaged in their children learning and well-being.

-          Providing online psychosocial support for women and girls whom are at risk gender based violence, including, vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Whereas, in Ein El helweh camp 555 adolescent girls and 220 women

-          Provision remote GBV specially case management and PSS and establishment of adequate referrals to connect women and girls to appropriate service provision

-          Providing 832 dignity and hygiene kits for the most vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian refugees in south and north Lebanon.

-          Referring women and girls whom are at risk of violence and abuse to psychosocial support, legal aid, etc…

-          Advocacy and lobbying, where the community Leaders and influential persons including religious leaders are aware about the risks of child marriage, and agree that marriage should not be contracted before 18 years in any circumstances.

Case study

Name: T.H.

1. Reasons for performing this case study:

ü  Bad economic situation

ü  Threatened by dropout from school

ü  Abused by her fiancé

1. What happened?

Her family consists of five members; she is the eldest daughter. They suffer from poverty especially after her father’s death when she was at the age of 17. By that time, she was preparing for her Brevet but her father’s death affected her psychologically, so she was forced to dropout from school. Her educational level was good and her dream was to become a chef, but her family’s economic situation was bad, which affected her dream.

That is all what she said when we visited her for the first time at home and asked her about the profession that she wants to learn.

1. When did it happen (the most recent incident if happened more than once)?

At the time of her participation in the project’s workshops about GBV, Protection and risks of early marriage, she told social worker about her engagement. When she was 17 years old, she got engaged to her cousin who was 24 years old. She said that, at the beginning of the relationship, her fiancé was good, but when his family interfered and talked about her poverty, she felt psychological pressures. They were talking and arguing about her family all the time without even hearing their decisions. Plus, they tried to control her, which increased the psychological stress that lead her to breakup.

1. How did it affect the young girl, and what was the outcome?

After her breakup, her family supported and helped her to feel better which affected positively on her psychological state. When we started the activities, she had recently broken up with her fiancé., we helped her to put a new plan for her life and start to achieve her dreams. After that, she studied to become a Pastry Chef and tried to teach some children at home to help her family financially. Now she is knowledgeable about relationships, and thanks to her participation in the workshops and awareness-raising sessions she became totally aware of her future relationships.

1. Was there any Follow-up?

We always follow-up on her through activities such as lesson follow-up, in addition to encouraging her to have ideas, then we discuss the project topics with her in addition to her personal life.

[1]https://helprefugees.org/lebanon/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInc-TgeeY5AIVyLHtCh0qdgA_EAAYAyAAEgIaDPD_BwE

[2] The communicated number from the ministry of foreign affairs is exceeding these figures!

Links:

• Naba'a website