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Lebanon is the country that hosts the most refugees compared to its population. Faced with this crisis, the Reesah team decided to go there to meet the associations and NGOs in charge of protecting populations. This was an opportunity for them to share the problems they face in their daily work.

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The massive influx of refugees from neighboring Syria arouses a lot of resentment, even xenophobia. This is explained by the pre-existence of religious tensions between Syrian Sunnis, Lebanese Christians and members of Hezbollah Shiites, but also by the country's history : many Lebanese families have lost a member killed by a Syrian soldier during the Lebanese-Syrian war and then the occupation of the country by the Syrian army.

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Some Lebanese are jealous of the Syrian refugees who benefit from the aid of many NGOs, while they themselves have a precarious standard of living. Moreover, since Syrian labor is cheaper, Lebanese employers themselves maintain this vicious circle. In response, the NGOs present there are trying to set up projects where Syrians and Lebanese meet. The DPNA organization notably organizes arts and sports sessions for peace for children between 12 and 18 years old : for many, these activities are an opportunity to get out of their community, and allow them to break the received ideas - in particular on an alleged physical difference of the Syrians.

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Many associations also work to promote the protection and empowerment of refugees, in particular through the distribution of money (Acted Liban and the Lebanon Cash Consortium) and the creation of safe homes (Caritas Liban). These same associations carry out actions to strengthen governance and the capacities of civil society, thus participating in the development of the country (DPNA and its workshops on citizen empowerment). As the crisis drags on, the organizations are faced with the problem of the sustainability of the camps, which for some are becoming veritable unhealthy small towns.

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Finally, the team was able to meet organizations specializing in the protection of a particular section of the population, children (OffreJoie) or women (Abaad, Caritas Lebanon). The education of Syrian refugees is essential because it allows them to emancipate themselves and integrate into a country where they are destined to stay. Indeed, many actors have made a point of stressing that the situation could no longer, after 7 years of crisis, be qualified as " situation d'urgence ". This leads them to adopt a new paradigm, that of action geared towards the development and integration of refugees. The question therefore remains current and must continue to mobilize.

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Reesah would particularly like to thank the Solidarity and Development Fund for Student Initiatives of the University of Aix-Marseille for its essential help in carrying out this project. It is thanks to his trust and support that the team was able to carry out its work.

THE TEAM'S REPORT ON THE PROJECT IN LEBANON

Photographs of the project

© Adrienne Dechamps

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