“We are not tourists, we are people fleeing a war”

For many refugees from Syria, getting a roof over their heads and keeping their families fed is a massive struggle. On World Refugee Day, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warns that dire living conditions are affecting people’s health. “After our house was destroyed in Syria eight months ago, we moved from one place to another to flee the war before crossing the Lebanese border,” says a woman named Wafa, who now lives with her family in an unfinished building in Al Marj, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, the main entry point into the country for Syrians. “We were sleeping in the street when the owner of this building offered us the chance to come here. At night, the six of us share two thin mattresses and some blankets, my husband lying on one side and me on the other, covering our children. It’s all we have.” Lack of adequate and affordable shelter Finding accommodation has become almost impossible for the growing numbers of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Some can call on people they know who are already in Lebanon, but most are not so fortunate. “The most difficult thing is to pay for the rent,” says Amar, a father of four who fled Damascus three months ago, arriving in Lebanon with little more than the clothes he was wearing. “We have been asked to pay up to $600 a month, but we are not tourists: we are people fleeing a war. Sometimes refugees are even asked to pay several months rent in advance.” MSF has been scaling up th...
Source: MSF News - Category: Global & Universal Tags: Update Lebanon Frontpage Refugees & IDPs Source Type: news