By
Stephen Dockery
BEIRUT:
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has had “small delays” in aid distribution
in north Lebanon, where there is the largest concentration of Syrian refugees
in the country, a UNHCR spokeswoman told The Daily Star.
For
several weeks in a row the aid organization reports show it has provided no aid
provisions to any of North Lebanon, where 13,405 people are officially
registered as refugees.
UNHCR
spokeswoman Dana Sleiman said aid is still being provided to refugees through
partner organizations and a large shipment of aid is to be distributed to
refugees soon.
“There’s
been a small delay, but distributions are starting up again Monday,” Sleiman
said. “They have still been doing distribution on a home-by-home basis.”
Sleiman
said the delays have not had an effect on refugees, who are given provisions
that last several weeks.
The
organization continued operations as usual in the Bekaa, handing out over 1,000
packages of foodstuffs and baby supplies.
The
UNHCR is working to rehabilitate around 100 houses and public buildings in the
area to house refugees, according to the report.
The
latest update from the aid organization reports that the number of refugees it
is aiding is around 24,000, level with last week’s update. UNHCR registered
1,887 refugees this week, most already living in the country.
The
organization has been working recently to improve its access to refugee
communities across the country, particularly in Tripoli, where the UNHCR does
not have a strong presence.
The
U.N. body is working on registering between 2,000 and 3,000 more refugees who
are residing in Tripoli, after they reach an agreement over access with the
government, the report said.
Several
months ago, the Lebanese government halted refugee registration in Tripoli for
weeks at a time. UNHCR officials said no explanation was offered for the move.
Also
according to the latest report, 13 Syrians were admitted to the country’s
hospitals. And in a sign of the length of the more than yearlong conflict,
UNHCR has made agreements with hospitals for childbirth for Syrian refugees.
“There are high rates of
preterm births and newborns in need of neonatal intensive care; this is
attributed to a variety of reasons, including the mother’s nutrition, lack of
proper prenatal care and trauma suffered by the conflict witnessed by Syrian
women,” the report says.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/May-05/172430-unhcr-aid-distribution-to-refugees-in-north-delayed.ashx#axzz1tuK3hCJi
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