When the civil war started in Syria in March 2011, thousands of Syrian people fled to Lebanon, the UN and Humanitarian agencies were quick to respond to this influx of refugees by meeting urgent and life threatening needs.

The LFPA was quick to point out that the reproductive sexual health issue is as urgent as food and shelter,

The Syrians refugees coming to Lebanon had real & urgent needs in the area of reproductive health and Family Planning.  The average Syrian woman has 5 or more children. In observing Syrian refugees one always see a young mother carrying an infant and holding the hand of a child less than 2 years old, which indicates the big number of children and deliveries and the absence of family planning.

The LFPA commenced providing humanitarian services in 2013 and until today, through implementation of projects that aim to improve the reproductive sexual health & livelihood of the Syrian Refugees.

Project Title:  Lebanese and Syrian women for a better health, funded by the U.S. Embassy Small Grants Program.

Period: October 31, 2013 to September 30, 2014

The project aimed to provide reproductive sexual health and family planning services as well as increase the awareness of the Syrian refugee women on importance of seeking those services.

The LFPA signed an MOU with the municipality of Hawsh Harimi in West Bekaa to establish a reproductive sexual health clinic and equip it with all needed equipment and medicines and to be used by the LFPA as headquarters for its work in West Bekaa. A field coordinator was hired as well to be responsible for day to day activities.

20 women Syrian refugees & Lebanese from host community, were trained as “peer educators”. The LFPA believes that this is the best approach to provide information. The training agenda included the following topics: Safe mother hood, contraceptives, sexually transmitted infections (STIS), early marriage, early detection of cervical & breast cancer, as well as skills to transfer the knowledge to other women.

The peer educators implemented 120 awareness sessions in the villages of West Bekaa reaching 2544 women in the period of January – September 2014.

The topics discussed during the awareness:  Contraceptives, Safe mother hood, Breast feeding, cervical cancer, Breast cancer, early marriage, sexually transmitted infections, Gender Based Violence, Nutrition during pregnancy. The participants in the awareness sessions were referred to the clinic in Hawsh Harimi to benefit from the free of charge services provided by the midwife.

The project produced as well two leaflets: the first one about STIs second one about pregnancy and safe motherhood.

A reproductive sexual health clinic was established and fully equipped within the municipality dispensary in Hawsh Harimi municipality to provide high quality reproductive sexual health services.

A mid wife was contracted by the LFPA provide services three days / week for beneficiaries accompanied by 4th year midwife students doing their internship.

LFPA obtained contraceptives and RSH medicines from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide them free for the beneficiaries.

The clinic opened its door on December 3, 2013, and in the period December 2013 to September 2014, 2473 women benefited from the services: the greater percentage of beneficiaries was in the reproductive age 16-45 years old. The beneficiaries not only benefited from the free of charge services but also received free supplements such as iron, folic acid, calcium and antibiotics.

The project achieved its goals and impacted the lives of the Syrian refugees women because it allowed them to access free of charge needed and vital services that that was not available to them.

Project Title:   “Improving the health conditions of Syrian refugee children in West Bekaa camps” funded by Live Lebanon – United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Duration: April – June 2014.

The Syrians Refugees living in camps were experiencing problems as related to sanitary conditions. The camps situated in west Bekaa suffer from lack of running water, proper facilities to be used as toilets, or to be used for bathing or clothes washing. The living conditions of the refugees can obviously trigger and escalate the spread of communicable diseases, especially dermatological diseases where large numbers are living in close quarters in temporary or makeshift accommodation.
Leishmaniosis, a treatable parasitic skin disease spread by sand flies, has since early 2013 been identified in refugee communities. Outbreaks of lice and scabies are also found in refugee communities. The children suffer the most from those outbreaks, this why the LFPA proposed to implement health campaigns to prevent and limit the spread of the skin diseases among children of Syrian refugees from age 1 month to 12 years.

The LFPA obtained a fund from the UNDP to implement health campaigns in Syrian refugee’s camps to assess situation and treat the affected children

The Objectives of the health campaigns were:

• Detect and treat skin conditions that are affecting Syrian Refugees mainly children ages 1month -12 years old.
• Reach 1200 children in the Syrian refugee camps in Hawsh Harimi and El Marj in West Bekaa Region.

 

In order to achieve the objectives doctors specialized in dermatology and skin diseases were contracted to implement the campaigns and treat any children with skin disease. Medicines were also obtained to be distributed to the patients. The project was introduced to local authority to ensure collaboration and coordination.

The campaigns were launched on April 1, 2014 in Hawsh Harimi and were implemented in schools & camps. Although the project aimed to detect and treat Leishmaniosis among the Syrian refugee children we noticed other skin conditions such as Eczema, allergies, fungus, Psoriasis…

The project reached 1334 children and provided much needed services to the Syrian refugees.

Project Title: Reproductive and Sexual Health Awareness & Service Delivery for Syrian Refugees in South Lebanon & West Bekaa Regions. Funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Duration: January – June 2014

The project was implemented in Bint Jbeil & Tyre Regions in South Lebanon & in Hawsh Harimi in west Bekaa .

The activities implemented during this period aimed to improve the reproductive health of Syrian refugees’ women through increasing their awareness on RH practices that impact their lives.

The awareness sessions were implemented by peer educators trained to provide the sessions.

• 47 Syrian & Lebanese women were trained as peer educators in Bint Jbeil/ South Lebanon
• 30 Syrian & Lebanese women trained as peer educators in Abbassieh/ Tyre Region.
• 36 Syrian & Lebanese women trained as peer educators in Hawsh Harimi/ West Bekka Region

The topics covered during the training were:

• Reproductive and sexual health concepts
• Safe motherhood/ antenatal care and post natal care
• Nutrition during pregnancy
• Contraceptives methods and family planning
• Early Marriage / health & social implications
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Breast & cervical cancer
• Gender based violence
• RSH Advocacy
• Technical skill for conducting awareness sessions

 

Following the training courses women leaders conducted awareness sessions in camps and settlements

• 50 awareness sessions were implemented in West Bekaa reaching 738 Syrian womenliving in the villages: Hawsh Harimi, El Marj, Lucy, Gazza, Rawda, Kamed Louze, Jebjeneen, Dakweh and Khiara.
• 51 awareness sessions were implemented in Tyre Region reaching 693 Syrian women living in in the villages: Borj Rahhal, Abbassieh, Halousieh, Maaroub,Janata, Toura, Maarkeh, Deir Kifa,Bedyas,Houmayri,Deir Qanoun El Naher
• 50 awareness sessions reaching 953 Syrian women living in the Bint Jbeil Qadaa, in the villages Kherbet Selem, Safad Bateekh, Baracheet, Touline,  Chakra:  Tebneen, Jmeijmeh,  Beit Yahoun: Yater & Youneen:

 

1000 dignity kits provided by UNFPA were distributed to the women who participated in the sessions as well as other educational material including 1000 notepads and 5,000 educational brochures covering the topics of nutrition during pregnancy, STIs, contraceptives, postpartum depression and GBV.

In addition to that, informative brochures provided by UNHCR on medical services available to Syrian refugees in South Lebanon and Bekaa and the South & Bekaa GBV referral pathway were distributed .

Project Title: Implementation of RSH awareness campaign among Syrian and local communities in North Lebanon- Akkar & Wadi Khaled. Funded by UNFPA

 Period: May – November 2015

 Objectives:

• Building capacity of 90 women as peer educators on three topics: Family Planning, Maternal Health, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
• Enhancing the knowledge of at least 9780 Syrian refugees and local women and girls on RSH topics
• Distribution of sanitary pads, soap and educational material

Activities:

• Three training courses to train 90 women as peer educators were implemented:

1. 30 Women were trained as peer educators on Family Planning
2. 40 Women were trained as peer educators on Maternal  Health
3. 40 women were trained as peer educators on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

 

• 495 awareness sessions were implemented reaching 9900 Syrian & Lebanese women :

The sessions were implemented in: Minnieh- Ayrounieh & Kweshra in     Akkar  & Mashta Hammoud, Mashta Hassan in Wadi Khaled.

Project Title: Early Marriage: A Risky Practice, funded by the Canadian Embassy Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI)

Period: Nov 2015 -Feb 2016

Objectives:

The project aimed to decrease the frequency of early marriage as the practice is common especially among the Syrian refugees, through education and increasing the awareness of targeted beneficiaries. The project was implemented in West Bekaa region in four villages Hawsh Harimi, Jeb Jeneen, Ghaza & El Marj. Villages with a high population of Syrian refugees,

21 Syrian & Lebanese women identified from the targeted villages and refugee camps in and around them, were trained as peer educators on the disadvantages of early marriage, especially as related to RH health, psychological effect, illiteracy and as a component of Gender Based Violence.

The trained women then implemented 50 awareness sessions in the targeted villages reaching 892 women in the communities where they live, providing mothers and young women with the information in order for them to take a stand against early marriage.

Educational material were distributed to the participating women not only on early marriage but other issues of concern such as RH health, GBV, nutrition and others…

Project Title: Promoting community health and rights for refugee women and children in West Bekaa. Funded By Hilfswerk Austria International (HWA)

Period: October 2016 – November 2017

Beneficiaries:

500 Syrian female refugees and 1500 children in Hawsh Harimi in West Bekaa- Lebanon

Objectives:

• Improve community health for vulnerable refugee and host community women and children in West Bekaa.
• Increase access to appropriate health services and facilities, health knowledge and address the health needs for women and children in West Bekaa.

Activities:

1. Training women educators to act as awareness raising agents. 27 Syrian & Lebanese women were trained. The women knowledge was increased especially in the areas of reproductive health and safe mother hood as well as in children health, nutrition and raising of children. The training included also skills on how to conduct awareness sessions.
2. 116 awareness sessions were implemented in period October 2016- September 2017, 1491 women attended those sessions.

The outreach activities were implemented in the villages in Hawsh Harimi, and nearby villages El Marj, Gazza, and Rawda. The topics discussed were, safe mother hood, breast feeding, family planning, contraceptives, antenatal care, and children health & nutrition. The participants were encouraged to seek services for them and their children at the dispensary in Hawsh Harimi.

Each participant was given a hygiene kit at the end of the outreach activity that contained sanitary pads, soap, and shampoo for adults and kits targeting their children containing baby shampoo, soap, milk and diapers

 

3. Activating the dispensary in Hawsh Harimi municipality to provide reproductive health and pediatrics services in addition to psycho- social counseling and referral services

The dispensary opened on October 24, 2016.

In the period 24 October- September 30  2017, 1980 women benefited from the gynecological services most beneficiaries were Syrian refugees on the average 85 % Syrian, 15 % Lebanese Women

1680 children benefited from pediatrics services, of which 90% are Syrian and 10% are Lebanese.

Project Title: Winterization Support for Vulnerable Syrian Refugees in Al Marj Camp. Funded by Hilfswerk Austria International (HWA).

Duration:  December 2016- February 2017

The project aimed to contribute to the humanitarian relief and rehabilitation measures benefitting Syrian Refugees in Al Marj Camp in West Bekaa & to reduce the vulnerability of 7000 children and their families at al Marj camp through the provision of warm clothes to cope with the harsh winter in Lebanon

The LFPA conducted a rapid assessment in Al Marj camp and surrounding camps to obtain lists of names and numbers of children under 14 years old. Lists were prepared ready to start distribution as soon as the jogging suits were purchased.

7000 Jogging suits were distributed in the time of the project which were very important to alleviate some how the burden of the Syrian refugees and keep their children warm.

Project Title: Empowered ITS/service provider to promote safe motherhood and family planning. Funded by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Period: 2017-2019

As the Syrian Refugees continue to stay in Lebanon findings and recommendations from assessments and previous projects, where more than 100,000 Syrian and Lebanese women were targeted with RH messages, reflected the need for further awareness raising on RH messages and family planning targeting  not only women, but also husbands and fathers.

This project aimed to respond to remaining gaps and needs identified in previous projects and other assessments;

The activities of the project included hiring a project field coordinator to monitor and follow up the implementation of activities in the targeted region And 3 coaches 2 females and one male to supervise the implementation of outreach activities.

30 women and 10 men were identified as peer educators and were trained to provide the awareness sessions.

In 2017, 6448 beneficiaries were reached with information, through awareness sessions, 280 sessions reaching 5860 women and 56 awareness sessions reaching 588 men.

The beneficiaries were provided with referral cards to seek free of charge Rh & family planning services at Deir Qanoun Naher RH center

2018 activities:

965 awareness sessions were implemented, 770 sessions for women reaching 5610 women and 195 for men reaching 1059 men

Beneficiaries at the awareness sessions were referred to the LFPADE reproductive sexual health center to benefit from free of charge FP and Safe motherhood services.

 

 

2019 activities:

Implemented outreach sessions by trained educators, peer to peer approach to reach out their peers in the respective communities.483 sessions reaching 3363 Women and 126 sessions reaching 642 men

Beneficiaries at the awareness sessions were referred to the LFPADE reproductive sexual health center to benefit from free of charge FP and Safe motherhood services.