WER has strengthened its commitment to working together with local partner organisations in the Middle East following an evaluation visit to the region earlier this week.
Alex Haxton, Director of Operations for WER UK and Jeremy Horner, WER UK Programme Manager, travelled to Lebanon and Jordan this week to evaluate the use of emergency supplies shipped to the region since July 2006.
Over the last 6 months, WER has sent more than 20 tons of humanitarian relief supplies to the Middle East region in response to the needs of Iraqi refugee and Lebanese communities affected by conflict.
Emergency supplies were delivered to Lebanon in August 2006 by WER UK in conjunction with WER global offices for distribution through local partner organisations to all sectors of communities in Beirut and neighbouring towns in southern Lebanon.
Pharmaceutical and medical supplies were utilised by the Jordanian Military Field Hospital, a temporary facility which was set up in a school building in central Beirut for 5 months during the height of last year's conflict in the country.
Commenting on the current situation in Beirut, Alex Haxton said,
"Whilst life is, to a certain extent, beginning to return to normal for Lebanese families, there is still serious devastation in south Beirut. The recent strikes in the city highlight the tension which continues on a daily basis, both on a political level and in the day-to-day living of the Lebanese people."
The WER team were also in Jordan to evaluate the situation of Iraqi refugee families in and around Amman, the capital of Jordan.
It is estimated that around two million Iraqis have fled their country and are living in increasingly difficult conditions in neighbouring countries like Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. UNHCR estimates that there are now more than 700,000 Iraqi refugees living in Jordan alone.
"This is the biggest crisis to be faced by Jordan for many decades. Prices are soaring and hardship is growing but there is little or no money being allocated by the international community, even though the situation is direct fallout from the conflict in Iraq. This crisis affects Jordan as a whole, not just the refugee population, and needs our attention now before it escalates," reports Haxton.
Two 40ft containers of relief supplies shipped by WER are due to arrive in Jordan in the next few days. These will be distributed by WER's local partner in Amman to the Iraqi refugee population and any Jordanians suffering similar levels of hardship.
WER UK continues to be in regular contact with local partner agencies in Jordan to evaluate the ongoing need for further areas of assistance in the region.
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