Clothing was distributed to Syrian refugee families as well as to the people who host them within the framework of the “Emergency Assistance for the Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS), the Syrian Refugees (SRS) and the Hosting Community” project implemented by Developmental Action without Borders Organization, NABAA, in partnership with Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfee and funded by the German Foreign Ministry.  This helped to fulfill unmet requirements and maintain families’ dignity. 1,425 families received women’s and elderly people’s clothing and shoes. These families are distributed amongst 7 camps: BCHC, RACHC, BUSSC, NBC, BC, EHC and MIEMC. 

The first distribution was held in the Tyr area on the 15th of May 2014 across three camps; BCHC, RACHC, BUSSC.  The rest of the camps will be reached by the end of this week. 

The distributions were organized based on field research carried out by Naba’a inside Palestinian Refugee Camps in Northern and Southern Lebanon. It revealed that there is an urgent need for women and elderly people’s clothing, which has not been fulfilled by any of the service providers who are implementing emergency programs that aim to meet the minimum basic requirements of refugee families. 

The project coordinator, Ali Salam, noted that the refugee families who received clothing were satisfied with the quantity and quality of the items provided. One of the women commented that refugee families’ prioritize rent payment and general family living expenses, which are high compared to Syria, at the cost of items like women’s clothing.

Mrs. N.H. asked for the international community, the UNRWA and the UNHCR to pay more attention to refugee families as most of the assistance provided, in particular financial aid, is not sufficient and does not cover rent or the cost of basic food items. Mrs. F.Z. from the hosting community said that she has found that the assistance provided by local NGOs and the international community to the neediest amongst the hosting community stopped following the displacement of refugees from Syria.  This caused conflict between Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon and Palestinian and Syrian Refugees from Syria who moved to Lebanon unwillingly.