About the Project
The project consisted of providing heating oil to Syrian internally displaced people (IDPs) in order to keep shelters warm.
Location
Central and West Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Quick Project Stats
| Funding Date | October – December 2024 |
| Luena Investment | $4,000 |
| CBO Partner | Reaching Across Borders (RAB) |
| Village | Central and West Bekaa Valley |
| Country | Lebanon |
| # of Children Impacted | 472 |
| Community Contribution | Free use of truck for distribution of heating oil |
Significant Material Needs for IDPs in the Bekaa Valley
From October 2024 through December 2024, there were over 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Lebanon. Many of them are from the South and Baalbek, where the Israeli attacks were most intense at the time. A large percentage of these IDPs sought refuge in Central and Western Bekaa, where we, RAB, provide services. Those who are fortunate have family with whom they can stay. Lebanese IDPs who needed a place to live were sheltered by the Government in the public schools in the Bekaa. The Syrian IDPs mostly lived on the streets and in open fields.
The NGOs who usually provide services to the Syrian refugees in the area, like RAB, worked with the Syrian informal public schools in the Bekaa to secure shelter for these IDPs. Together, all these NGOs (12 in total) formed a consortium to help provide for the Syrian IDPs in our area. The needs were for basic necessities, such as shelter, food, safety, warmth (mattresses, blankets, clothes), medications and hygiene products.
Heating Oil Protects Families During Winter
RAB committed to providing food, warmth, medications, and hygiene products to as many Syrian IDPs as our funding allowed. We elected to use the donation from Luena Foundation to cover a critical basic need of a safe warm shelter for these Syrian IDPs who were fleeing yet another war. The winters in the Bekaa Valley are extremely cold. We provided heating oil for 246 families and for an orphanage which houses 14 children.
Meet our Partner Community-Based Organization
The mission of Reaching Across Borders (RAB) is to promote the protection, mental health wellbeing and economic empowerment of vulnerable individuals and communities, globally, through education, support, research, and advocacy, with a focus specifically on human rights, gender equality, and human dignity.
To learn more about our partner organization, click here.
