Tom Fletcher (The British Ambassador in Lebanon) Response

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.

Refugee Skype Session

This morning we have held a fascinating video conference between the two schools, looking at Refugees. This gave the children in the UK a wonderful insight into the life of children in another part of the world, and made the children realise how fortunate they were.

In the refugees' shoe

Today the students had the chance to write about what would they bring with them if they were forced to leave their homes. It was an insightful session for most Lebanese students... especially when they listened to their Syrian and Palestinian friends.

Refugee project- What is a home?

Today we discussed what we think is home a home is and why, which of these places is a home?

Refugee Project

Our first project this academic year is focusing on refugees. Today, in the UK, we discussed if we were leaving our house because of war what 10 things would we take and why.

Islamic Art

This week in art we have looked at the inside of the Mohammad Al Amin Mosque and have used this for inspiration to design our own Islamic style patterns.

Oranges In No Man's Land

Since her father left Lebanon to find work and her mother tragically died in a shell attack, ten-year-old Ayesha has been living in the bomb-ravaged city of Beirut with her granny and her two younger brothers. The city has been torn in half by civil war and a desolate, dangerous no man's land divides the two sides. Only militiamen and tanks dare enter this deadly zone, but when Granny falls desperately ill Ayesha sets off on a terrifying journey to reach a doctor living in enemy territory.

 

Children in Class C have been reading this book and have done some work based on it.

 

Work done by students in Beirut. Reflection on the story

Skype Session- Road Safety

After making our posters we held a very productive and informative Skype session between the two schools. We discussed our findings and share facts about road safety in both countries.

Mohammad Shamel school/ Road Safety posters

Frances Olive Anderson Road Safety Posters

Road Safety Project

ROAD SAFETY

Through this project children will learn about the important global skill of 'taking action' as they try to find a solution and safety tips to avoid accidents and make the roads a safer place around school.