Over 22000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has issued its weekly report on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, whose numbers apparently risen to 22,000. The report also cited food distribution processes and the construction of twenty new houses with a capacity of six families each, in Lebanon's Al Rama , Wadi Khaled , Monsa and Akrom. Solar–powered water heaters are being installed in Al Monsa and Qshlaq refugee camps. It announced that UNICEF and UNHCR are to host the first coordinative meeting of the working group on water, sanitation and hygiene in Al Bekaa this week. "The UNHCR is cooperating with the government, local authorities and national and international partners to help more than 22,000 Syrian emigrants in the country; almost half of them (9,940) have been registered for relief in the north. Syrian refugees are concentrated in northern Lebanon and more than 9000 persons in Wadi Khaled and Tripoli. Moreover, there are more than 3000 persons in Tripoli awaiting registration while the concerned authority is discussing the procedures," said the report. The report said that there were 8,500 refugees in Al Bekaa alone. Beirut had around 700 registered refugees while eight were recently sent to the hospital for treatment. UN coordinator Derek Plumbly in Akkar recently met a number of refugees in Mashta Hassan , Mashta Hamod and Wadi Khaled as well as the local authorities.   "Motherhood sessions conducted in Al Amaier village targeted pregnant Syrian women and child care issues and ended with distributing supplies for babies. As for health, the International Medical Committee, the UNHCR's health partner, secured psychological and social support services in two hospitals in Tripoli: Al Rahma and Dar Al Shefaa. Psychologists and social counselors, affiliated to the committee, met with the refugees to help them in various issues such as socialisation, enhancing their relationship with their families and their host societies.   "Teams from the UNHCR and Danish Refugee Council are due to attend the distribution process in Al Bekaa and carry out home visits to identify gaps and improve distribution. The World Food Programme (WFP) also received the official approval from the Lebanese government to work in Lebanon. WFP plans to provide food in terms of vouchers for Syrian refugees," said the report. The UNHCR appeared to have documented a number of needs of the refugees in Al Bekaa. For example, some families were reported to lack basic knowledge of services they needed and a large percentage of the children in some families no longer attended school while others were working. The consequences were a number of complications in pregnancy cases, chronic diseases and physiological trauma. "Many of them will be treated upon completing the official registration. As for education, 300-400 children are registered in remedial classes organised by the UNHCR and its partners in public schools in Arsaal and Ein," said the report. As for the health situation, the report said: "The UNHCR and its partners are seeking to establish health centres that are able to receive patients and deliver births, especially in the Al Kaa and Hermel regions. The main challenge is the number of cases requiring secondary health care and enormous resources. Without cost-sharing, the gap of medical cost coverage will be increased." The report noted that "An expert in the field of accommodation of the Danish Refugee Council visited the unused Al Bukhari mosque school in Balbak which currently hosts about 20 refugees. He developed a rehabilitation plan including the purchase of washing machines and refrigerators. Adjustments were made to host six additional families. Calendar work continues to determine available mass refuges and empty houses which can be rehabilitated to host and comfort Syrian refugees."