CERF gives $3 million in relief aid for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

As of April 2011, Lebanon witnessed the influx of some 6,000 Syrians into the Governorate of North Lebanon. While a small number of the refugees returned after the initial fighting, many remained and their numbers increased as the crisis intensified. As of May 2012, the international aid community is assisting some 25,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The UN reports that two-third of the registered Syrian refugees are women and children, with over 50 per cent under age 18. Some 17 per cent of registered refugees are under age 5.

The needs of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are considerable and their impact on hosting communities is substantial. Syrian refugees in the North relied, until recently, on assistance provided principally by the Government of Lebanon’s High Relief Commission (HRC). The HRC has been providing food and health care to all registered refugees in northern Lebanon, while the international aid community provided complementary assistance in the form of non-food items, shelter, primary health care and education support. Recently the Government announced that it will not be able to continue covering refugee food requirements and requested the assistance of the international community. Further compounding the situation, the Akkar region in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, where most Syrian refugees are concentrated, are among the poorest and underserved regions in the country, characterised by a lack of social services, weak infrastructure and limited livelihood opportunities. The HRC is not mandated to assist Syrian refugees in other areas outside of northern Lebanon, and humanitarian partners are supporting aid efforts to fill the vacuum.

In response, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) gave US$2,978,910 to five UN agencies and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support life-saving assistance for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The World Food Programme (WFP) received $899,286 from CERF to provide emergency food aid to 15,000 vulnerable refugees during June and July 2012.

The UN Children’s Programme (UNICEF) received grants totalling $798,220 to provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene support to affected communities in the Bekaa Valley. CERF-supported activities will help provide a minimum of 15 litres of safe water per person per day through water trucking and provide water storage tanks in locales with a lack of water storage capacity. In addition, UNICEF will provide Syrian refugee boys and girls psychosocial care and support services through the active engagement of their caregivers and host communities. More than 25,000 people will benefit from CERF-supported UNICEF activities.

To further the protection of vulnerable groups and support health care for Syrian refugees, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was given $450,042 to support the registration, profiling and documentation of Syrian refugees. CERF funds will also ensure that up to 800 people receive primary health care consultations and help refugees pay for medical costs.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) received a grant of $381,562 to ensure that 16,000 women and girls have access to quality reproductive health commodities and dignity kits. Reproductive health kits contain clean delivery supplies, blood transfusion kits, among other items, and are critical to ensure life-saving emergency obstetric care support to women experiencing complications due to pregnancy and delivery. Essential needs supplied in dignity kits include sanitary pads, underwear, head scarves and long sleeve shirts, among other personal hygiene items.

IOM received $300,000 to distribute non-food Items to up to 17,500 vulnerable people and improve living conditions through household shelter support.

Emergency health activities will be supported through CERF-funded grants totalling $149,800 to the World Health Organization (WHO). Funds will be used to implement vaccination campaigns, purchase and distribute essential medicine and deliver medical equipment, for the benefit of 25,000 people.

For more information about the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, visit the CERF website : http://www.unocha.org/cerf