Lebanon
A child becomes the breadwinner for a Syrian refugee family
More support needed for Syrian refugees amid economic crisis in Lebanon
Lebanon
More support needed for Syrian refugees amid economic crisis in Lebanon
Mohammad and his wife Asmaa fled conflict in Syria in 2013 when their eldest daughter, Arkan, was just a baby. Now aged 10, all Arkan has ever known is life in an informal settlement in Tripoli, northern Lebanon.
The family of six lives in a shelter made from timber and scrap metal with a tarpaulin cover. Last winter, they resorted to burning shoes and plastic bags to stay warm, filling the tent with toxic fumes. When the children fell ill, their parents could not afford treatment.
Mohammad is unable to work due to injuries, while Asmaa is nine months pregnant. The family receives some assistance from UNHCR, however, it doesn’t cover all their needs, so Arkan has become the family’s breadwinner. She wakes at 6am to sell tissues at the roadside, earning just US$1-2 per day.
“I’m often teased while I’m selling my tissues and some kids even pull my hair,” says Arkan. “But I need to help my father.”
Arkan only attends school in the afternoon. She says she wishes she could devote all her time to education.
“I would like to be a teacher when I grow up,” she says.
“Sometimes it all feels like it’s not real,” says Mohammad. “You think to yourself: how did we end up like this in a tent? I have absolutely nothing.”
According to the World Bank, the situation in Lebanon is one of the world’s worst national economic depressions. With the currency in freefall and widespread food, fuel and medicine shortages, some refugee families are resorting to skipping meals or sending their children to work just to survive.
“Sometimes it all feels like it’s not real,” says Mohammad. “You think to yourself: how did we end up like this in a tent? I have absolutely nothing.”
Unfortunately, this is a familiar story for many of the 5.7 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, as well as the local communities hosting them. Economic crisis and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have created unprecedented levels of hardship for refugees 11 years after the outbreak of the Syrian war.
When work and lessons are finally done for the day, Arkan plays with her siblings and the other children in the settlement, forgetting about the responsibility she carries for her family. However, her parents constantly worry about her safety, and for the future of their unborn child.
“I worry I will not be able to deliver in a clinic because I can’t afford it,” says Asmaa. “It is simply money that we do not have.”
International assistance for Syrian refugees is more vital than ever. Donate today and support refugee families so children like Arkan can have a childhood and go to school.
Lockdown has put their plans on hold.
Their lives turned upside down in seconds.
More support needed for Syrian refugees amid economic crisis in Lebanon
The majority of funds raised by Australia for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.