Syrian refugees receive thermal blankets and other humanitarian aid distributed by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in preparation for winter. AFP
Syrian refugees receive thermal blankets and other humanitarian aid distributed by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in preparation for winter. AFP

Winter is coming for Syrian refugees in Lebanon



SAADNAYEL, Lebanon // In Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, the sun is still shining. But soon temperatures will dip and snow will blanket fields that house hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

Their shelters are little more than wooden frames covered with tarpaulins or, in some cases, plastic sacks sewed into patchwork quilt roofs.

The unofficial camps are on farmland, so the ground underfoot is soft, and quickly churns to mud at the first rainfall.

“Winter here is something terrible,” says Fatima Hanhoun, from Syria’s western Idlib province, who lives on a piece of land near Saadnayel in the Bekaa.

“Last year the ground was completely water laden, we couldn’t step outside the tents without sinking up to our knees in water and dirt.”

Even with the weather still warm, the conditions are dire.

A stream filled with rubbish and human waste separates the mini-camp in Saadnayel from the road.

The adults pick across it by stepping on semi-submerged bricks and an old carpet, but the children run through it barefoot.

The refugees wash in water from the stream but walk to a spring further away for drinking water.

An aid agency has installed a few communal toilets, strips of corrugated metal wrapped around squat holes on raised platforms.

But Ahmed, also from Idlib province, quietly describes how his disabled wife uses a plastic bag in their shelter as a toilet because she can’t climb the platform.

“We don’t blame anyone for our situation, we just hope for some help,” he says, pointing to the gaps in the tent where the wind blows in.

The United Nations refugee agency and a string of partner groups are trying hard to provide that help.

UNHCR has designated all refugees living in Bekaa, where the winter temperatures regularly fall below zero, to receive special winter supplies.

“There are 247,000 refugees registered in the Bekaa, and around 27,000 waiting to be registered,” says Lisa Abou Khaled, a public information assistant with UNHCR.

“All of them will get winterisation aid because all of them are classed as vulnerable because they are living above 500 metres.”

At a school in Saadnayel, dozens of men and women wait to receive a package that includes special “high-thermal” blankets.

They also receive ATM cards pre-charged with cash to allow them to purchase heaters and fuel.

Refugees are also getting reinforced tarpaulins designed to withstand heavy rain, floor mats and additional wooden beams.

Of the 250 camps in Bekaa alone, the UN believes 25 are particularly flood-prone. There they are raising shelters and digging canals to try to prevent disaster.

At the Dalhamiyeh campsite, also in Bekaa, many shelters have already been reinforced.

“Thank God, the UN is helping us. We’ve put up the extra plastic sheeting, and we have money for fuel and heating,” says Mahbuba Sarhan, 27, a mother of seven from Homs province.

“But I’m scared because there are reports that this winter will be the worst in a century, and the clothes we had for the children last winter are now too small for them.”

“Last winter, every time we wanted to go to the bathroom, we sank in the mud between the tents.”

Others are less impressed by the assistance.

“We have eight people living in this tent,” says Abdullah Hussein, who comes from Homs, gesturing towards a tiny makeshift shelter as he builds a wooden frame extension to it.

“All they gave me was these eight beams and a bit of plastic. How are we going to stay warm in that when it snows?”

For Ms Abou Khaled, the complaints are nothing new, and an understandable if frustrating part of an impossible job.

The Lebanese government opposes the establishment of formal refugee camps, so all that the UNHCR and other groups can do is try to ameliorate conditions at the unofficial ones the refugees have created.

“We’re not saying that we’re giving them five-star accommodation, but we are trying to make their situation liveable,” Ms Abou Khaled says.

At the Saadnayel camp, Ahmed Al Abd, 27, is preparing to pour concrete over a patch of ground next to his tent.

“I managed to get two days of work so I could buy these materials and do something to try to prepare for winter,” he says, accusing aid agencies of failing to bring winter materials to the camp.

“We’re all afraid of the winter, but going back home, to the bombing and the death, is much, much worse.”

* Agence France-Presse

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Founder: Abdulla Almoayed

Based: UAE

Founded: 2017

Number of employees: 35

Sector: FinTech

Raised: $13 million

Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.

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Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)

Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)

Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)

Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).

Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)

Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)

Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)

Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)

Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia

Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)

Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)

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Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder

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Torque: 66Nm

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Brackets denote aggregate score

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Wednesday:
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