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LEBANON / SYRIAN REFUGEES
STORY: LEBANON/SYRIAN REFUGEES
TRT: 3:35
SOURCE: UNDP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ARABIC/NATS
DATELINE: 10 FEBRUARY 2014, BEKKA VALLEY, EAST LEBANON
1.Various shots, Informal Tented Settlement (ITS), Ghaza, Bekaa Valley
2.Various shots,Syrian refugees in ITS
3.SOUNDBITE (English), Waleed Taha, Lebanese Student:
“We know it is hard for the Syrians because they have lost their houses and families in Syria. But it is also hard for us as we need help as well and we need support.”
4.Various shots, Syrian refugees in ITS
5.SOUNDBITE (English) Luca Renda, Country Director, UNDP Lebanon:
“Life has become a lot harder for the Lebanese communities as a consequence of the Syrian crisis. The dramatic surge in the population, which continues as we speak, is placing enormous stress on basic services such as education, health, water, sanitation, the management of waste. Competition for jobs especially low skilled jobs is intensifying.”
6.Various shots, Al Marj Market with market vendors, customers and market stands
7.Various shots, Najah Abu Taha, Lebanese market vendor, working at Al Marj market
8.SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Najah Abu Taha, Lebanese Market Vendor:
“The ground here was full of mud, dust and pebbles. When it rains, customers cannot come. There is no sewage. There is no lighting, no paved roads. Now we have all of this, thanks to the United Nations.”
9. Various shots, Al Marj market workers
10.SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Najah Abu Taha, Lebanese Market Vendor:
“So if it rains, there is no problem. Customers come to the market from all over because the ground is clean and paved and the water does not stay because the sewage is excellent. We thank UNDP for donating this project.”
11.Various shots,Syrian Refugee, Mohammad Hajj Steify working at Al Marj market
12.SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammad Hajj Steify, Syrian Market Vendor:
“I fled Syria for fear of the shelling there. It’s more secure here.” The business is good.I make the ends meet.”
13.Various shots, Syrian Refugee, Mohammad Hajj Steify working at Al Marj market.
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammad Hajj Steify, Syrian Market Vendor:
“The business is good. I make the ends meet.”
15. Various shots,Syrian refugees at Zahle Registration Center, Bekaa Valley.
Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict three years ago, nearly a million people have sought refuge in Lebanon.
In the Bekaa Valley, Syrian refugees live in informal tented settlements, placing extreme strain on basic services in already deprived communities.
A sprawling informal tented settlement lies just a few feet from Waleed Taha’s family home.
“We know it is hard for the Syrians because they have lost their houses and families in Syria,” said Waleed, a 24-year-old Lebanese student. “But it is also hard for us as we need help as well and we need support.”
The United Nations Development Programme is working to ease the pressure and support Lebanese host communities absorb the shock of the influx.
“Life has become a lot harder for the Lebanese communities as a consequence of the Syrian crisis,” said Luca Renda, Country Director, UNDP Lebanon. “The dramatic surge in the population, which continues as we speak, is placing enormous stress on basic services such as education, health, water, sanitation, the management of waste. Competition for jobs is intensifying. So we have to ensure a balanced response.”
UNDP is improving delivery of basic services, like health and education, boost employment opportunities and stimulate the local economy.
One example, is Al Marj Market, which UNDP in partnership with UNHCR helped renovate to help generate income.
“The ground here was full of mud, dust and pebbles. When it rains, customers cannot come. There is no sewage. There is no lighting, no paved roads,” said Najah Abu Taha, Lebanese Market Vendor Now we have all of this, thanks to the United Nations. So if it rains, there is no problem. Customers come to the market from all over because the ground is clean and paved and the water does not stay because the sewage is excellent. We thank UNDP for donating this project.”
Syrians refugees also benefit from this bustling market center.
“I fled Syria for fear of the shelling there,” said Mohammad Hajj Steify. “It’s more secure here. The business is good. I make the ends meet.”
By the end of this year, as much as 25 percent of the total population in Lebanon will be refugees.
With no end to the crisis in sight, helping the Lebanese absorb the human shock is vital.
END
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