U.S. Assistance to Refugees from Syria and Host Communities in Lebanon

January 31, 2013

The United States commends the Government of Lebanon and the generosity of the Lebanese people for hosting and supporting some 230,000 refugees or more from Syria who have fled the brutal violence of the Asad regime.  As the situation inside Syria deteriorates, the United States is committed to supporting Lebanon’s efforts in conjunction with UN agencies and non-governmental organization partners to provide protection and assistance to those who have fled Syria.  President Obama announced on January 29 that the United States is contributing an additional $155 million in humanitarian assistance to support those affected by the crisis, including nearly $29 million in additional funding for assistance to refugees in Lebanon.  This announcement brings the U.S. total contribution since the beginning of the conflict to $365 million.   The U.S. total contribution is $51 million to support humanitarian assistance efforts for refugees from Syria who have fled to Lebanon.  The United States also continues to provide financial support to under-developed Lebanese communities, particularly those hosting Syrian refugees, and to invest in the Lebanese people.

Humanitarian Assistance for Refugees from Syria

This funding supports UN partners including UNHCR, UNRWA, the World Food Program, and UNICEF to provide a range of assistance to refugees, as well as to Lebanese families in host communities who have generously opened their homes, schools, and hearts to women, children, and men who have sought safety in Lebanon from the brutal violence and deplorable humanitarian conditions in Syria.

The United States supports a wide range of humanitarian assistance programs in Lebanon to provide rent support, essential household items, and food vouchers, as well as primary health care consultations, emergency medical care, and psychosocial services for victims of gender-based violence and those suffering from the trauma of surviving the horrific violence inside Syria.

The United States supports the work of UNHCR to provide basic humanitarian assistance including medical services and supplies, such as food, clean water, warm clothing, blankets, and shelter to those in need throughout Lebanon, including in communities in the Bekaa, the north, the south, and Mount Lebanon.  With increasing arrivals from Syria, improving the quality and quantity of available shelters is a priority for humanitarian partners in coordination with the Government of Lebanon. 

Approximately 50% of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are children, and over 43,000 are school-aged.  U.S. funding supports UNICEF’s efforts to educate Syrian children in Lebanon, providing remedial courses, tutoring, and after-school activities to thousands of Syrian and Lebanese students throughout the country.  UNICEF is also partnering with NGOs and communities to protect children and women from domestic violence and to give children safe spaces to play and learn. 

The United States further supports the critical assistance that UNRWA provides to Palestinian refugees who have fled Syria, including cash assistance, essential household items, primary and emergency health care, as well as education for Palestinian students in UNRWA schools. 

U.S. funding supports a program to help identify refugees’ specific protection concerns and to refer those with special needs to appropriate service providers in the Akkar and Tripoli areas.  U.S. funding also supports primary counseling programs for Syrian refugees struggling to overcome the violence they have witnessed and to adapt to a new, temporary home. 

U.S.-funded partners are also addressing the health care needs of conflict-affected Syrian refugees by expanding the availability of comprehensive primary health care services in northern Lebanon, Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.  The program helps refugees make informed health decisions through the provision of preventive health services and education, mental health counseling, and other protection-related activities.

Investing in the Lebanese People and their Communities

The United States continues to support Lebanese communities and invest in the Lebanese people, including under-developed communities who have generously opened their homes to Syrian refugees fleeing violence.  In cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces, the U.S. military has provided 27,000 winter coats to Lebanese and Syrian children in Akkar and the Bekaa.  The U.S. Embassy further supports conflict resolution and leadership development programs through sports and the arts for 750 Lebanese and Syrian children in the Bekaa while Lebanese children help their Syrian peers adapt to Lebanese schools. The U.S. Embassy also provides training for 200 youth and women to implement projects benefitting 12 communities in Akkar, and training 100 high school students and civil society activists to conduct community service projects in six villages in Wadi Khaled.

The U.S. through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supports the growth of Lebanon’s economy through programs totaling $75 million in agriculture, value chain development, and microfinance.  USAID’s $65 million water sector programs improve water and wastewater services through technical assistance and infrastructure improvements. In addition, USAID is providing more than $50 million for programs to improve municipal governance and services, strengthen civil society, and address environmental concerns.

The U.S. also invests in Lebanon’s youth and their education.  In partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, USAID invests in public schools through a five-year $75 million program.  The program targets Lebanon’s public schools to enhance student achievement through school rehabilitation, provision of equipment, teacher and leadership training, extracurricular activities, community engagement in local public schools, and establishes a monitoring and evaluation system to ensure high-quality performance.  In the past two years, USAID’s University Scholars Program has also provided full, merit-based undergraduate scholarships to Lebanon’s most prestigious universities to 220 Lebanese public school students with financial need.  Many of these programs that are improving service delivery, expanding economic and education opportunities and supporting youth to encourage their participation in resolving community concerns are active in communities hosting Syrian refugees.

The U.S. Embassy also promotes English language learning as a tool for educational success, access to information, and better job prospects to thousands of Lebanese across the country.  Since 2007, approximately 4,500 Lebanese women have participated in Teaching Women English with a special curriculum focused on their daily lives and concerns that promotes civic engagement through language.  Over the past nine years, approximately 3,300 Lebanese public school students have participated in Access, a two-year intensive English and leadership skills program.