School Partnership Between Mohammad Shamel School and Frances Olive Anderson: November 2013

Do you know roughly how many refugees live in Lebanon?

The numbers are rising steadily. As of 19 November, the UN calculates that there are nearly 824,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with this figure rising every day. There are a further 50,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria.

What is it like seeing all the people living on the streets?

Most refugees are staying in shelters provided by humanitarian agencies, renting with host families, or creating makeshift shelters in unused buildings.

How do you help the refugees in Lebanon?

The UK is one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian response in Lebanon and Syria. Overall we have now committed £500m to help those affected by the crisis in the region. In Lebanon alone, we have already spent £66m on food, shelter and medical assistance for those most in need, and we have plans to do even more - on education and support to host communities as well as continuing to provide basic humanitarian assistance.

What countrys are the refugees from?

Almost all the refugees are from Syria, though some are "double refugees", having first sought refuge in Syria from Palestine, and then being forced to flee into Lebanon. Other countries in the region are also receiving Syrian refugees (Jordan, Iraq, Turkey) but Lebanon has by far taken in the largest number. This is incredibly generous of Lebanon, which is a small country in terms of both its population (4m) and its geography (smaller than Wales).

What problems do the refugees cause?

For a small country, the refugees place a huge burden on the country's infrastructure and public services. This understandably causes grievances amongst the Lebanese population who feel their living conditions are deteriorating as a result. Added to that are the other consequences of a large refugee influx: rising rents and falling wages (as Syrians are prepared to work for less). All of this creates tension between the Lebanese hosts and their Syrian guests - the fear is that this tension could bubble over into conflict between social groups. We are already seeing some worrying evidence of this - mainly in isolated incidents.

Is there anything we can do to help the refugees in the UK?

Yes! Your offer is extremely welcome as there are many things you can do to help.

- Awareness raising: anything you can do to increase awareness of the plight of Syrian refugees. Does your school use Facebook and Twitter? If so, you could use these platforms to share updates from UNICEF or UK charities working on the ground. There is also a DFID Facebook page which often carries updates of our work with Syrian refugees.

- You might want to consider a fund-raising event at your school in conjunction with one of the charities who do a lot of work in Lebanon - for example Save the Children, Oxfam or World Vision. Every contribution, large or small, goes a long way. Some of the larger charities (for example Save the Children) are planning Christmas appeals focused on children and the need to protect them through winter and continue their education. You may want to approach one of these charities and explain your interest and I am sure they will have further practical ideas for how you can get involved.