Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CRISIS response:
ACTIVITY REPORT
NOV 2015/OCT 2016
Unfortunately, the European reaction to the refugee
crisis is a clear example of the long path that needs
paving in terms of solidarity between the South and
the North. Despite the fact that Lebanon, Jordan
and Turkey each welcome more than one million
Syrian refugees, European countries have struggled
to integrate even a few thousand refugees in their
countries. It is clear that these individuals didnt
come to Europe to obtain family allowances or unem-
ployment assistance; they didnt come to Europe to
steal local communities jobs or to dictate a partic-
ular way of life as a lot of right-wing Europeans
proclaim. As with Syrian refugees in Lebanon and
others countries, they are trying to flee war, to save
Dr. Kamel Mohanna their children, their families and also their lives.
President, Amel Association International Furthermore, most refugees are forced to live in
General Coordinator, Lebanese and Arab terrible conditions, with minimal security, in informal
NGOs Network
camps or in the street. In 2014, European Union
countries gave asylum to 184,665 refugees while
570,000 individuals sent an asylum request. C o n -
cerning France, they have welcomed 10000 Syrians
Editorial: refugees since 2011. Now where are these migrants
The Burden of Syria isnt Lebanons Alone who have been rejected by the European fortress?
What conditions are they living in? Whilst these
people are in need of emergency humanitarian
The Syrian conflict is a tragic example of commu-
assistance, Europe closes its borders.
nitarian hatred and the rise of extremism. The
worlds most powerful countries predicted that
It is therefore of vital importance to find a political
the Syrian crisis would be short. More than six
solution to the Syrian crisis to avoid more Syrian
years later, the situation in the field is still critical.
civilians and host communities falling into misery and
There are now more than ten million refugees
violence. It is also of capital importance that Euro-
and internally displaced from Syria and approximately
pean countries commit themselves to welcoming
260000 individuals have died due to the conflict.
refugees and permitting them to live in dignity the international community is still essential.
and security. Pope Francis words are particular-
ly relevant here: [states must] take appropri- Although the impact of the Syrian crisis affects the
ate measures to welcome and plainly inte- whole region, the country most affected is without
grate all those who, for [one] reason or anoth- doubt Lebanon. With a population of 4 million
er, search for a refuge far from their home. individuals, Lebanon is the country that has the
greatest concentration of refugees per capita
The solution to the Syrian refugee crisis must in the world (more than 40% of Lebanons
also include significant financial aid from the demographic mass), provoking an overwhelming
international community. The need for a pressure on public services as well as on the
development plan on the long term is countrys stability. Nearly 2 million Syrians, Iraqis and
undeniable. A plan like this must have multi- Palestinians refugees have found refuge in Lebanon.
annual financial engagements. Nevertheless, Such a proportion is the equivalent of 20 million
the commitments of donor countries during Syrians refugees arriving to French territory.
international conferences have a limited impact
if they are not followed by concrete actions Refugees have suffered constant impoverishment
and if these promises are not respected. in Lebanon since the beginning of the crisis: 70%
live under the poverty line and 90% are indebted
For example, the international community by an average of 842$ per household to cover their
engaged itself to donate $3,8 billion - in the basic needs (food and health mostly). As the crisis
context of the International Humanitarian enters its sixth year, it becomes more and more
pledging Conference for Syria organized in necessary to adopt a mid-term approach, espe-
Kuwait in March 2015 - of the $8,4 billion which cially focused on professional training and educa-
were considered necessary by UN agencies. tion. Associative actors must, in parallel to mid-term
However, such promises of donations had still interventions, carry on providing basic assistance
not been fulfilled in their totality while the interna- which is traditionally intended for the first months
tional community was preparing a new Pledg- of humanitarian intervention (distribution of food,
ing Conference in London in February 2016. emergency shelter, etc.). It is clear that we are facing
For Lebanon, as an example, the Lebanon a new situation in which the humanitarian and
Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) was largely under- development sectors need to be incorporated.
funded (less than half of the $2, 14 billion neces-
sary has been received). A financial effort from It is important to say that this receiving of refugees,
by host communities in Lebanon, is characterised dynamic society, with 3000 Lebanese NGOs
by an incredible generosity, especially within participating to the response to the Syrian crisis in
the unstable situation which haunts Lebanon: Lebanon. Among them, Amel Association
the presidential vacancy which came to an end International can be considered as a pioneer model
after more than two years of institutional dead- in a Lebanese context where division and sectar-
lock, the economic crisis which the country is ianism reign. Amel is committed to applying a
suffering from due to the closing of one of universal and non-confessional approach to
its key exportation routes, the investors loss respond to the needs of the most vulnerable
of confidence and the tourism decline; the population.
constant security threat, etc. In addition to the
1,5 million refugees present in 2016, there In fact, Amels intervention, implementing activi-
are 1,5 million vulnerable Lebanese now ties for vulnerable groups, without distinction
living under the poverty line as well as or discrimination, is crucial. In response to the
400000 Palestinians refugees from Lebanon Syrian crisis, Amel and its 800 volunteers and
and 45,000 Palestinians refugees from Syria employers have provided more than 1,600,000
whose situation has worsened over the services to affected populations through its 24
years. Their situation is very critical: 90% of centres and 6 mobile medical clinics. In this
Palestinians from Lebanon live under the framework, Amel is implementing projects linked
poverty line and 98% of them are dependent to health, mental health, education and child
on nancial aid from UNRWA. All in all, there welfare, as well as livelihood activities, to rural
are more than 3, 3 million people in Lebanon development and projects on gender and human
who require humanitarian assistance. rights.
In front of this explosive and dramatic situation, In the health sector, the economic impact engen-
there is a chronic disengagement of the Leba- dered by the Syrian crisis on the Lebanese system
nese State concerning the response to the is considerable. According to the World Bank, $177
emergency and covering basic needs. NGOs million would be necessary to reinstate the quality
are more essential than ever in offering primary of care to the same level that it was before the
services to individuals affected by the Syrian conflict. In addition, according to the LCRP, more
crisis, especially in key sectors, namely health, than 1.6 million individuals need humanitarian
education and professional training. assistance in the health sector, for a cost estimated
Lebanon has the chance to have a rich and at $209 million on an annual basis. To respond to
these challenges, Amels mobile medicals units and
primary health care centres bring basic health- and young women, andreinforcing heir livelihood.
services to the most marginalised places, to those
most affected by the Syrian crisis. Since the Since the beginning of the crisis, more than 52,000
beginning of the crisis, more than 750,000 children have participated in educational activities
health services have been provided to these in Amel centres, and more than 50,000 youth and
communities by Amel. women have followed sessions for professional
trainings in a range of sectors (computer
Education is also a sector with highly significant maintenance, mechanical, cooking, hairdresser and
and uncovered needs. All children have the cosmetic, etc.)
right to education. But for the 2015 - 2016
school year, only 155,095 school-aged
Syrian refugees have been registered in
formal education, which implies the exclu-
sion of 59% of this cohort of refugee com-
munities ( about 400000 children). There is
a growing risk of creating a lost generation,
particularly given the high birth rate noted
within refugee communities. Furthermore,
refugee and host community youth (15-25
years old) are among the first to suffer from
the impact of this crisis, with 34% of young
Lebanese already unemployed before the
crisis. Since 2011, this number hasnt stop
increasing, with the majority of young Syrian
refugees (including 86% of young women)
without access to a job. However, the
importance of youth in active life is essential
for our societies. In this context, Amel
is implementing a range of educational
programs throughout its centres of Beirut,
the Beqaa and South Lebanon, as well
as projects for professiona training, pro-
moting the empowerment of youth
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
06 About Amel
16 Child Protection
08 Executive Summary
18 Livelihood
10 Health
20 Partners
14 Education
about
AMEL
Beirut Dahiye
Kamed el Loz
Mashghara
Fardis
Ebl el Saqi
Tyre Halta
Khiam
Bazourieh
EXECUTIVE to populations in need, other actors bear the burden
of service provision on behalf of the Lebanese state,
Furthermore, the total population residing in In line with our dedication to supporting the victims
Lebanon has grown by 30% in the course of the of the Syrian crisis, Amel was also present during the
past 6 years, of which 3,3 million require import- first UN Humanitarian Summit which took place in
ant assistance in covering their basic needs. Istanbul, Turkey, in May 2016. This Summit was
Because of its inability to provide quality services occasion for Amel to stress the importance of
08
coordinating local and international support It is important to stress that the Amel team doesnt
to refugees, and defending values such as work for a country, a political affiliation or a person,
impartiality and non-discrimination. The idea but works for the idea that all individuals are equal
of empowering affected communities to in terms of human rights and that humanity has to
engage them in the process of managing and be developed around the world.
responding to crises was also discussed.
Acting hand in hand with local actors who have In this report, we will therefore present the
a better knowledge of the field has become a projects and actions undertaken by Amel which
priority in humanitarian intervention. put into practice our guiding principles. We will
also give voice to our beneficiaries in order to
In this vein, through crisis and war, Amel pursues understand how our values have affected the lives
building a strong civil society, promoting civil of victims of the Syrian crisis.
rights and democracy and providing support
without discrimination.
1,885,714
1,571,429
Jan
1,257,143 Feb
Mar
Apr
May
942,857 Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
628,571 Oct
314,286
0
Burj Barajneh PHC Hay el Sellom PHC Haret Hriek PHC
We believe that our vision of non-discrimination Amels Mobile Medical Units also allow access to
is implemented through equal access to these remote areas of Lebanon and to numerous Informal
services amongst vulnerable Lebanese and Tented Settlements (ITSs), which are also in dire
displaced Syrians. Centers operated by Amel need of primary health care. These MMUs
provide a monthly average of 1500 consulta- organise awareness session as well as workshops
tions, receiving mostly women and children, in order to create a sense of community despite
and the only criteria for access that is taken into the tensions prevailing between refugees, displaced
account is vulnerability. Non-discrimination is and vulnerable individuals.
also reflected in the composition of the medical
staff where age, sex, nationality or religion is
not taken into consideration when recruiting
and dealing with staff.
2,50
1,25
1,050
Jan
Feb
Mar
700 Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
350
0
Sour PHC Sour MMU Bazourieh PHC Khiam PHC Khiam MMU Chmestar PHC Fradis PHC
EDUCATION
14
Many Syrian children have been out of
school for up to two years and need Mohammad
support to catch up. Homework support
allows children to review and practice what 14 years
Nour Khamis
17 years
Amels protection program intends to provide We lost everything out there, even our family
relief from sufferings, in all possible ways. relationship, my parents got divorce and my
Amel has multiple interventions aimed at father was planning to force me to merry my
protecting all, including children. Amels cousin, but after a while, we was introduced to
protection program is entirely in line with our Amel association which helped me to gain
principle of non-discrimination. Indeed, these my life back. They supported me to discover
activities are open to refugees (Syrian and other new skills and got me into languages and
nationalities) and vulnerable Lebanese. In computer classes, they have also provided
relation to the protection of children, Amel aims awareness session and psych-social support to
to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, my parents, so my father changed his mind
exploitation and violence against children. To after was trying to prevent me from attending
achieve this goal, Amel has been implementing Amel classes. I am not married and am working
during the past years child protection programs on my new skills, thanks to Amel team.
in and around its centres. In 2016, more than
10, 000 children had access to child When we will be back to Syria, I will open a
friendly-spaces in which protection and psychoso- smilar center to AMELs ones in Lebanon to
cial well-being are addressed. They benefit help girls
16
from psychosocial support aiming at school, early marraige, sexual harassment ... etc.)
enhancing their resilience through thematic and structured parenting skills sessions that
community events and structured activities. intend to help parents overcome their difficult
As for the parents, more than 12,000 were living conditions and cope with being parents in
provided with support in the form of awarness a harsh environment.
sessions on different topics related to childs
rights, (such as: importance of attending
Jan
Feb
800 Mar
Apr
May
700 Jun
Jul
Aug
600 Sept
Oct
500
400
300
200
100
0 Arsal Hay el Selom Burj Barajneh El Ain Kamed el Loz Machgara Hay el Selom SDC Mousaitbeh SDC Mazraa SDC
LIVELIHOOD
20
Mussaitbeh Abu Chacra St. Amel Bdg
Beirut-Lebanon
amel.org
/AmelAssociation
@Amel NGO
/amelassociation