It is not enough that we help those displaced. Those who receive the refugees feel left behind and also need help. That is why Mission East is now moving into Syria and Lebanon with support for both the Syrian and Lebanese host communities.
At Mission East, we are pleased to share with our supporters that we are launching new projects in Lebanon and Syria. This is done in collaboration with our local partner Dorcas Relief & Development. From November going, Mission East will provide support to former displaced persons who have returned to Homs and to those still living in Lebanon.
The project is a classic nexus project aimed at helping those who are still in conflict zones and in urgent need of food, and to support former displaced people who are now returning home to find a financial foothold to reduce relief dependence. Mission East is especially equipped for the task, as we draw on many years of experience from similar projects.
Homs in Syria
Our efforts in Syria are particularly targeting Homs, as it is one of the cities most affected by the war and with the highest number of displaced persons returning home. There are virtually no jobs to be obtained, over half of the infrastructure is destroyed, and many of the returnees have lost the ability to work due to injuries sustained during the war.
In many cases, it is now up to the women (often widows) to feed the family. But traditional views of gender are not conducive to their work outside the home.
This is how we help
In Homs, we will provide food for schoolchildren just as we will help former business owners and farmers to restart their businesses and rehabilitate destroyed farmland. We also have a special focus on professional training of women, young people and those who have sustained permanent injuries during of the war.
Aley and Batroun in Lebanon
In Lebanon, we will support Dorcas’ skills development centers for local women to ease pressure on the Lebanese labor market. The UN Refugee Organization (UNHCR) estimates that Lebanon is the country in the world with the largest number of refugees per year as per number of inhabitants.
It puts pressure on the Lebanese economy, infrastructure and, not least, patience. In addition to supporting the displaced, we support the population who receive those who feel left behind by the international community. In Aley and Batroun, where international aid is limited, Mission East will also provide legal assistance to Syrian refugees in registering births, marriages and divorces, supporting mothers with parental responsibility or securing educational documentation for children returning to Syria.
Finally, we will offer skills development to Syrian women and psychosocial counseling to those who have been subjected to abuse.
Our experience makes our intervention more efficient
Mission East has previously provided relief to internally displaced people in Syria and helped an Armenian church in Aleppo recover after it was hit by bombs. This experience has enhanced the efficiency of our current efforts, which are financed by the Danish government.
The conflict in Syria continues to evolve and change, making the challenges of displaced people a continuing concern.
