by Melissa Winkler
Beirut, Lebanon - 11 Aug 2006 -
Members of the International Rescue Committee’s Emergency Response Team have completed a week of assessments in and around Beirut, where hundreds of thousands of people fleeing violence in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut have settled. Focusing on environmental health concerns and the needs of women and children, team members met with Lebanese and international aid groups, U.N. agencies, local specialists and individuals at some two dozen settlements where the displaced have sought refuge. These sites include schools, parks, garages, empty apartments and other spaces in poorly serviced buildings.
The level of assistance varies from place to place, with many people receiving significant help from host communities. But everywhere people are living in crowded conditions and are suffering from a range of problems that are only getting worse as the war goes on.
The IRC will be providing materials and support to two established local aid organizations, Association Najdeh, which assists women and children, and the Association for Forest Development and Conservation (AFDC), which is working to improve environmental health services and assist displaced children and youth. Both groups also work in southern Lebanon and the IRC plans to expand its assistance to the devastated south as soon as security conditions allow. The Emergency Response Team’s activities in Lebanon include:
Environmental Health: Jason Snuggs, the emergency environmental health coordinator, will be working in 10 schools that shelter 2,300 people in Alay District, southeast of Beirut. “Even before the crisis, many of these schools were in a state of disrepair,” Snuggs said. “I found a lot of broken taps and toilets. And they all lack bathing facilities.” Snuggs will work with the AFDC to make immediate repairs, install mobile latrines and showers, improve waste disposal, distribute hygiene kits and initiate hygiene promotion activities.
Child Protection: The IRC led a workshop in Alay on Thursday for AFDC and Association Najdeh, and for 15 youth volunteers to help them address the special needs of children, youth and parents during this crisis. The IRC will help both organizations design programs aimed at restoring a stable environment for families and recreational activities for children. The IRC will also provide recreational materials.
Women’s Issues and Violence Against Women: Many displaced women lack basic supplies and have limited access to reproductive and psychosocial health services. The IRC will help create women’s support groups and programs aimed at stopping violence against women. The IRC will also distribute sanitary supplies to women.
