Refugee family in Lebanon needs help after 7 years of deep uncertainty

A family in need for years:

Ahmad Bareish and his wife are struggling to find food and new clothes for their three growing children, as well diapers for the youngest. Having escaped their home country and settled in Lebanon in 2013, they have lived this way, and have been raising children, on the margins of sustainability, without work, dependent on limited external support.

About organizers:

I have worked on multiple fundraising and volunteer efforts to support refugees in Lebanon, as well as managed volunteer projects in Jersey City, NJ (USA). I learned about Ahmad's family through other supporters acquainted with the family's situation and familiar with their relatively poor and isolated area of Northern Lebanon.

Your support:

Please donate to support food and clothing provisions for two months, while volunteers and organizations look for new ways to help the family meet their needs in the longer-term. Your donation can also put the family at ease for two months, so that Ahmad can seek further medical support.

Ahmad has diagnosed physical disabilities, which have remained untreated, and which have left him hard put to do the kind of physical work that has been available in Lebanon.

Detailed background information:

Ahmad and his family of two left their home country to escape conflict in 2013. In 2019, their third child was born, when they had already been living in a tent in Arsal, northern Lebanon, since their arrival in the country. They find themselves unable to work and unable to afford basic needs. They received $26/mo per person at the official exchange rate from the United Nations (UNHCR) -- significantly less at the street exchange rates. They only started receiving the stipend this year, after many months of not receiving UN aid. Ahmad has been diagnosed with osteo arthritis and needs a right hip prosthesis (according to diagnosis). He says that he cannot work, and has no way to support his family. A combination of physical disability and childcare needs has made it harder for the family to obtain its own income. They have not obtained income except through external support. Many refugees were able to find some form of employment in farming or in industries requiring physical labor, including construction, in the food service industry, and sometimes more skilled work. These were often low-paid jobs. Arsal is a relatively poor area in Lebanon, for locals as well as for refugees, with many people in need, and the refugees there under correspondingly higher pressure. Ahmad's family has been in debt, and lack resources for children's food and diapers. He has received some medicine before -- however, he has not had surgery, which he says he needs. He says that their funds last for not more than ten days of a month. At first occupied by ISIS operatives (till the Lebanese army ejected them), Arsal was isolated for some time since the start of the conflict across the border. It is still difficult to reach and is a deprived place. Despite this, the family has stayed in Arsal. It is not an easy place to leave, when one has few resources. Ahmad has traveled to see doctors. However, either surgery is costly, or it is too difficult to find information and resources for guidance with regard to any subsidies or free medical services potentially available. Ahmad's family was supported by donors before. However, as of last year, Ahmad has said that he is not receiving funding and is pleading for support, to help with nutrition, basic needs, and to support children's outlook and education. He claims that his and his wife's inability to work is hampering any change in the situation. The arrival of Covid-19 has changed the labor environment across the country, and Lebanon has sustained broad staffing reduction, with mass loss of employment. The economy has suffered a major contraction and the labor market for many Lebanese is effectively closed; for many Syrian refugees, it may be as though it doesn't exist. While there are options, these are limited and may require time, guidance, and, often, material support and certain skills. As of now, it is difficult for the family to obtain work, and, especially given the need to attend to basic necessities, becoming self-sufficient for Ahmad's family may take substantial time, even if feasible.


This is a description of his situation made by another group earlier this year. I spoke with them -- they confirm that no one has sent any support through them.https://m.facebook.com/672527266538089/posts/88332...

It paints a pretty stark picture.

Please consider donating -- and don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.