Edinburgh charity in funding plea to save homes of Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Edinburgh Direct Aid (EDA) say 15,000 vulnerable people face the threat of eviction from the Arsal refugee camp during the summer months after officials threatened to bulldoze their walled structures over fears structures could become “defensible bases for terrorism”.
The charity - which has been working in the area for around six years - said the Lebanese authorities ordered those fleeing violence in neighbouring Syria to rebuild their shelters using “non-permanent” materials such as canvas and plastic sheeting.
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Hide AdMany refugees have already started tearing down buildings despite the prospect of a brutal summer where temperatures are widely expected to hit the 45-degree mark.
EDA workers travelled to the camp - located around 80 miles from the capital, Beirut - earlier this year during the harsh winter and are currently liaising with a number of humanitarian agencies on the ground as the demolition and rebuilding work gets underway.
Refugees were initially given until Monday, June 10 to comply with the orders, but the deadline has been extended until the end of the month after a number of aid workers appealed the decision.
However, EDA committee member, Ann Thanisch warned tearing down the buildings “would not be a quick fix,” adding time was running out to complete the demolition before the authorities take action.
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Hide AdShe said: “It takes time to pull down walls and roofs, but it is quicker to pull them down than it is to rebuild. We are still in need of the timber for the wood frame to build the shelters and the plastic sheeting to make the covering.”
“Many of those in the camp are vulnerable, they are children, disabled or elderly and can’t do the work themselves, so we need people who are equipped with the skills to rebuild.”
Since 2013, EDA has taken more than 30 tonnes of donations to Arsal, bringing everything from clothes and medicine to sewing machines and mobile phone repair kits.
Official figures reveal Lebanon is home to around a million Syrian refugees, however estimates put the actual total at close to 1.5 million, many in remote towns like Arsal.
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Hide AdAnn added: “There is also a lot of rubble to get rid of and the camps themselves are spread out. It is a big job and time is running out for these people who are so desperately in need of help.”
“If the structures are not pulled down by the deadline, they will quite simply be destroyed and the people left exposed to the elements."