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STORY: WHO / LEBANON DISPLACED SHELTER
TRT: 03:55
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 MARCH 26, THE PACIFIC HOTEL, BEIRUT, LEBANON,
1. Wide shot, exterior, Pacific Hotel
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Displaced Person:
“We came from Anoun village and run away. First, we ran away and went to Saida and didn't find a house. We came here. My sister took a room, and my other sister is staying in one room. There are eight of us in one room, with the mattresses all the out of the room. This is our situation. We're buying some medicine, or rather, we've bought most of it. We left them at home.”
3. Med shot, hotel balcony with clothes drying
4. Med shot, dolly down a hotel corridor into a room
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Displaced Person:
“We want to go back to our homes, that’s it. Everybody goes back too their homes. Be safe. This is what I hope for.”
6. Med shot, Ali walking into a room, having a drink, with his wife sitting on a mattress
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Halawi, Displaced Person:
“Kaakaeyet el Jisr village.We were sitting then suddenly saw the rockets coming at us. in the village. We packed up and ran away, that's why we came to this area. People came with us And told us there is a hotel in Ein el Mreisseh we can stay there.”
8. Wide shot, Ali’s wife in a small kitchenette, with plates, tomatoes and eggs visible
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Displaced Person:
“This is what happened, we came and settled here and they fixed water and electricity for us and fixed the bathrooms for us. We sat down, and they started bringing us food, drink and blankets. They brought us everything; they didn't skimp on us, and they even brought us medicine.”
10. Med shot, doctor examining a patient with a stethoscope
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samer Mansour, Field Health Coordinator, Amel Lebanese International:
“Given the current circumstances in the country, we are currently managing about 16 shelters in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. These shelters house around 13,000 displaced families from Beirut, the suburbs, the South, and the Bekaa Valley. Amel Association is trying with all available resources and in cooperation with all our partners, to ensure access to healthcare in these shelters.”
12. Close up, medical supplies including a stethoscope and blood pressure band
13. Med shot, doctor examining a patient’s mouth with a tongue depressor and pen light
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samer Mansour, Field Health Coordinator, Amel Lebanese International:
“We are currently present here with a full medical team, including a general practitioner, specialized nurses, and a pharmacist. We provide medical examinations, dispense medications for acute and chronic conditions, and offer consultations on reproductive and sexual health. Additionally, we have a social worker who works to raise awareness among the centre’s staff about health and mental well-being.”
15. Med shot, doctor filling out paperwork
16. Med shot, Wassim entering the treatment area of the hotel
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Wassim Ghandour, Activist and Cousin of Hotel Owner:
“Okay, this is an old hotel. It's owned by our family. It's owned by a direct cousin of mine. And we thought about opening this hotel for refugees, which the situation was very catastrophic on the streets. And now we have, like, 196 families and more than 450 refugees in this hotel.”
18. Med shot, hotel treatment area
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Wassim Ghandour, Activist and Cousin of Hotel Owner:
“The influx Is continuously progressing. The demand for accommodation is increasing. And really, really we need help and support.”
20. Wide shot, exterior, Pacific Hotel
Since the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, over one million people have been displaced in Lebanon, forced to flee their homes. More than 134,000 internally displaced people are currently sheltering across 644 sites throughout the country.
The Pacific Hotel in Hamra area in Beirut, had been closed for a long time is among the many establishments that have been converted into makeshift shelters to accommodate those fleeing the violence.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Displaced Person:
“We came from Anoun village and run away. First, we ran away and went to Saida and didn't find a house. We came here. My sister took a room, and my other sister is staying in one room. There are eight of us in one room, with the mattresses all the out of the room. This is our situation. We're buying some medicine, or rather, we've bought most of it. We left them at home.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Displaced Person:
“We want to go back to our homes, that’s it. Everybody goes back too their homes. Be safe. This is what I hope for.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Halawi, Displaced Person:
“Kaakaeyet el Jisr village.We were sitting then suddenly saw the rockets coming at us. in the village. We packed up and ran away, that's why we came to this area. People came with us And told us there is a hotel in Ein el Mreisseh we can stay there.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Halawi, Displaced Person:
“This is what happened, we came and settled here and they fixed water and electricity for us and fixed the bathrooms for us. We sat down, and they started bringing us food, drink and blankets. They brought us everything; they didn't skimp on us, and they even brought us medicine.”
Amel Association, a local health cluster partner, is playing a critical role in the response. Given the severity of the current situation, the organization is managing approximately 16 shelters across Beirut and Mount Lebanon, providing essential healthcare services to displaced populations at these sites.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samer Mansour, Field Health Coordinator, Amel Lebanese International:
“Given the current circumstances in the country, we are currently managing about 16 shelters in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. These shelters house around 13,000 displaced families from Beirut, the suburbs, the South, and the Bekaa Valley. Amel Association is trying with all available resources and in cooperation with all our partners, to ensure access to healthcare in these shelters.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samer Mansour, Field Health Coordinator, Amel Lebanese International:
“We are currently present here with a full medical team, including a general practitioner, specialized nurses, and a pharmacist. We provide medical examinations, dispense medications for acute and chronic conditions, and offer consultations on reproductive and sexual health. Additionally, we have a social worker who works to raise awareness among the centre’s staff about health and mental well-being.”
The displacement crisis is taking a particularly heavy toll on children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, whose needs demand urgent and targeted attention.
SOUNDBITE (English) Wassim Ghandour, Activist and Cousin of Hotel Owner:
“Okay, this is an old hotel. It's owned by our family. It's owned by a direct cousin of mine. And we thought about opening this hotel for refugees, which the situation was very catastrophic on the streets. And now we have, like, 196 families and more than 450 refugees in this hotel.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Wassim Ghandour, Activist and Cousin of Hotel Owner:
“The influx Is continuously progressing. The demand for accommodation is increasing. And really, really we need help and support.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) is actively on the ground, supporting the Ministry of Public Health and health cluster partners in assessing the health needs of shelter populations, and supplying medicines and medical equipment to shelters and hospitals across the country.
