Lebanon - Over the past week, Lebanon has been hit by a winter storm, with plunging temperatures, strong winds, hail and snow, that have added further hardship for vulnerable families already struggling with the impact of the Syria crisis in Lebanon. Among the hardest hit are the 1.2 million Syrian refugees who now account for roughly 25 per cent of the country’s population.

IOM has been supporting an Inter-Agency winterization campaign led by the Ministry of Social Affairs, UNOCHA and UNHCR, providing assistance in line with sector guidelines to both Syrian refugees and Lebanese returnees from Syria – a group that IOM has been asked to target, in coordination with the Lebanese government. 

Since November 2014, IOM has supplied over 1,000 families with winter assistance. Some 600 families in Akkar (North Lebanon), the Bekaa valley and South Lebanon have received assistance consisting of cash transfers for fuel, stoves and blankets. A further 419 families living in substandard shelters, often tented settlements particularly vulnerable to cold, have received weatherproofing kits, including plastic sheeting, wood, and basic tools.

“This year’s winterization effort has been better coordinated than in the past to reach families in greatest need – both Syrian and Lebanese,” said Fouad Diab, who coordinates IOM’s shelter and basic assistance activities in Lebanon. “But as shown by the latest storm, the scale of those needs continues to far outstrip the assistance being provided,” he added.

IOM plans to continue to provide support and is urgently seeking funding to help more returnees and refugees to stay safe and warm through the remaining months of this very cold winter.

For further information please contact

Angela Santucci

IOM Lebanon

Tel: +961 70 640 250

Email: asantucci@iom.int

or

Fouad Diab

Tel: +961 76 777 437

Email: fdiab@iom.int