Polish aid

The project formed part of a PCIA "Cash for Rent” programme whose objec­tive is to support refugees who live in extreme poverty and do not receive comprehensive humanitarian aid from the UNHCR. The Lebanese government conducts a policy of gradual liquidation of tent camps and so-called collective shelters, which necessitates finding shelters for groups numbering up to several hundred families. Without hu­manitarian aid, these people are forced to return to Syria where many will face arrest and death. As many as 75% of ref­ugees rent homes, garages, basements and other premises for which they have to pay at least USD 100-120 per month. These costs are very high given the refu­gees’ low wages.

While wages are higher in the Beirut metropolitan area, so are rent amounts. Very few humani­tarian organizations are active there, meaning that only 4% of refugees receive aid that helps pro­vide them with shelters.

In 75% of cases, evictions of refugees from rented premises are caused by failure to pay rent. In such circumstanc­es, the Cash for Rent program was used to stem the eviction tide by restoring their rent-paying ability. Another as­pect of the project was support to the Educational Centre in Bire built in 2016 with the support of Polish Aid funds. The Centre provides children of Syrian refugees with supplementary education (teaching among other French which is the language of instruction in Lebanese schools) as well as vocational training (nursing and pharmaceutical assistants, electrical installers etc.) and computer classes. In 2019, the educational offer was expanded to skills related to man­aging the refugee crisis, especially on the part of local authorities