17-05-2013 Operational Update

Refugees from the fighting in Syria continue to stream into Lebanon. The ICRC is determined to do its part in the effort to help them.

The fact that more than 1.5 million people have registered or have appointments with UNHCR means the actual number is much higher. The increasingly widening gap between the needs and resources available is a growing challenge.

HIGHLIGHTS

1.4 million refugees have now fled violence in Syria and are in desperate need of shelter, food and water. Over half of them are children.

The crisis is set to escalate, but our resources are stretched to breaking point. Any donation, no matter how small, will help us support more families caught up in this crisis.

The situation

$1.6 million already committed to provide food to those caught in the crisis

Winnipeg, MB -- “Every night I go to bed thinking about what I will feed my family in the morning,” says a Syrian woman who fled with her family to a refugee settlement in Sidon, south of Beirut, Lebanon.

Sadly, her story is all too common. 6.8 million people who are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance due to ongoing conflict in Syria.

14 May 2013 – During his meeting today in Lebanon with senior Government officials, the head United Nations peacekeeping operations reaffirmed the Organization’s commitment to work with the authorities to safeguard the country against negative regional developments.

Constructing market-based livelihood opportunities for refugees and host community families

I. INTRODUCTION