QFFD, IOM join forces to support Syrian refugees in Lebanon

With support from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has started implementing a one-year project on “Livelihood support in the Beqaa and North Lebanon targeting Syrian refugees”.The project aims to assist 604 vulnerable Lebanese and Syrians in North Lebanon and Central Beqaa.Eleven years into the Syrian conflict, nearly 1.5mn Syrian refugees are currently living in Lebanon, of whom about 950,000 are registered with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).With a population estimated around 6mn, Lebanon is host to the largest number of refugees per capita in the world.“Struggling to meet the basic needs and make ends meet, marginalised communities in the Beqaa and North Lebanon are in dire need of attention and support,” said Nouf al-Kaabi, acting manager of the Project and Programme at the QFFD.“The holistic approach of the livelihood programme provides diverse opportunities that aim to mitigate ever-growing economic hardships, address education needs, and instil a sense of purpose in the most vulnerable Syrian refugees and Lebanese communities, with a focus on the unemployed and women, in areas long neglected,” she added.In the context of the multiple crises in Lebanon, including the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic that has claimed the lives of many and caused devastating social and economic disruptions, the project aims to address such challenges through interventions that adequately meet the needs of vulnerable populations.This joint initiative aims to create income-generating opportunities, fostering entrepreneurial livelihoods and boosting employability of communities that are threatened by shortage of municipal services, and are living in volatile neighbourhoods in the north, Akkar and Beqaa Valley.“This generous contribution from the Qatar Fund for Development is coming at a critical time, when so many people in Lebanon are struggling in the face of the economic and financial downturn, the Covid-19 pandemic and most recently, the explosions at the port of Beirut," said Mathieu Luciano, IOM Lebanon’s head of office. “Our partnership is a great example of how humanitarian and development provide a critical lifeline to vulnerable host and displaced communities trying to meet their basic needs.”The significance of the project lies in addressing the socio-economic hardships and traditional tensions related to the presence of significant numbers of displaced communities and that come under increased strain due to deteriorating conditions in Lebanon.