Int’l Aid Covers Only 50% of Refugees’ Needs in Lebanon – UN Refugee Agency

According to the UN refugee agency, the World Food Programme covers only 50 percent of the refugees' needs.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — International aid covers only 50 percent of refugees' needs in Lebanon, as their living conditions in the country are deteriorating, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokeswoman for Lebanon Dana Sleiman told Sputnik

"They have to resort to begging to survive <…> The World Food Programme is able to cover only 50 percent of the needs of refugees," Sleiman said.

According to the spokeswoman, in the past five years the situation became worse for refugees in Lebanon, with the humanitarian aid being limited and all stocks already exhausted. The tough financial issues often cause parents to send their children to work, rather than to school, she said.

"We can provide medical care only in emergency cases," Sleiman added.

Since the civil war in neighboring Syria escalated in 2011, thousands of people have been fleeing the country, many of whom arrived in Jordan and Lebanon. According to the UNHCR, some 1.7 million refugees are currently registered in Lebanon, with 70 percent of them living below the poverty line.

The UNHCR has been providing food, clothes and medicines to the asylum seekers in the country. It has also been working on making education available for children.