LEBANON / SYRIA REFUGEES

The hilltop village of Al Faqiha has new residents these days. Like other communities here in Lebanon's Bakaa valley , it's hosting Syrian families who've fled the unrest on the other side of the mountains. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:16
• Production Date: 7 May 2012
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: LEBANON; SYRIA
• MAMS Id: U120507d

Description

STORY: LEBANON / SYRIA REFUGEES
TRT: 2.16
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: APRIL 2012, BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON

Shotlist

1. Various shots, Bekaa Valley
2. Various shots, refugee mother with child
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Um Karim” Syrian refugee:
“We’re missing a lot of things. We can manage, but this is not the life we had in Syria. We thank God. We just try to cope. The most difficult thing is the food, the bathroom, and the sleeping.”
4. Various shots, clothing hanging on line
5. Various shots, children playing
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Ameera”, refugee:
: “Here my husband has no work. We are getting some assistance, like canned food. Some relatives provided me with furniture, but rent is very high and the house is humid. I managed to find work for my son. He earns $10 a day, which helps with the rent. But his dad is still not working.”
7. Various shots, refugee family at home

Storyline

The hilltop village of Al Faqiha has new residents these days. Like other communities here in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, it’s hosting Syrian families who’ve fled the unrest on the other side of the mountains.

Um Karim arrived here just a few weeks ago, together with her seven children. A local family offered them a single room to use.

With her husband still somewhere in Syria, Um Karim is dependent on food and basic supplies donated by neighbours and local NGOs.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Um Karim” Syrian refugee:
“We’re missing a lot of things. We can manage, but this is not the life we had in Syria. We thank God. We just try to cope. The most difficult thing is the food, the bathroom and the sleeping.”

The growing number of Syrians crossing the mountains into Lebanon is putting extra strain on rural communities that have little in reserve even in normal times.

Children are often left to their own devices, even though the Lebanese government has allowed them to enter local schools. Some older children, like this woman’s son, are being pushed into the workplace.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) “Ameera” Refugee
“Here my husband has no work. We are getting some assistance, like canned food. Some relatives provided me with furniture, but rent is very high and the house is humid. I managed to find work for my son. He earns $10 a day, which helps with the rent. But his dad is still not working.”

For many Syrians in Lebanon, the youngest and most vulnerable included, life has become a waiting game. As agencies like UNICEF step up their response to support them and their host communities, they are left to hope that a return home may not be as distant a prospect as it now seems.