Since 2013, RET has directly supported 69,511 participants from the Syrian refugees and host community members through 13 projects.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, around one and a half million displaced persons are believed to have crossed the border into Lebanon, formerly home to around four and a half million people. This massive and rapid influx of Syrian refugees into an already vulnerable state has negatively impacted life in Lebanon on different levels. A declining economy, the exhaustion of social services, a political vacuum, a decrease in security as well as a deteriorating quality of life for the displaced Syrians themselves are just a few of the examples of the changes in that country.
Therefore, in 2013, RET stepped in to respond to the needs and challenges of both the vulnerable members of the host communities as well as the refugee population, by implementing various projects focusing on building resilience in the sectors of education, protection, gender equality and social inclusion as well as peace and community stabilization.
Late 2019 and during 2020, nationwide anti-corruption protests began leading to an escalated political and party tension and leading to violence.
Lebanon has been going through a severe social and economic crisis, considered one of the worst economic crises in modern history. To date, the Lebanese pound has lost over 80 per cent of its value. Millions of people are not able to meet their basic needs, when food inflation is hitting nearly 200 per cent. According to a recent UN report, over half of the country was struggling to put the most basic produce on the table.
Accelerated by the pandemic of COVID 19, tension amongst the host and refugee communities is on the rise over resources and unemployment rate has hit 54%.