The Syrian Civil War, now in its tenth year, has displaced millions of Syrians, both within Syria and into neighbouring countries. Over one million Syrian refugees reside in northern Lebanon, including in the city of Tripoli. This large scale displacement has placed additional strain on housing and services; refugees and vulnerable host communities frequently reside in informal, poor-quality homes in various states of disrepair that are poorly serviced and often damp and damaged. With displacement ongoing, many humanitarian programmes seek to meet the needs of both refugees and address underlying causes of poverty in host communities. These programmes are often multi-sectoral and have social cohesion as an intended outcome and deliver community-wide protection activities alongside housing and WASH support.
With four phases over four years funded by the US Government’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), the ONA programme has worked to improve housing conditions for the most vulnerable whilst enhancing individual and community resilience and social cohesion through protection programming and participatory approaches. In Phase IV (2018-19), CARE International in Lebanon (CIL) aimed to build on Phases I to III. In common with previous phases, for Phase IV, CIL worked in partnership with local partner Akkarouna to provide multi-sectoral shelter, WASH and Protection assistance to vulnerable Syrian refugees and the Lebanese host community, including Palestinians returning from Syria (PRS) in five neighbourhoods in Tripoli