Lebanon is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. According to the World Bank, it is likely to rank among the top three worst crises in the world since the mid-nineteenth century. The value of the local currency has collapsed and inflation has reached an all-time-high. More than half of Lebanon’s six million people are now living below the poverty line.
The economic crisis is happening in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, where more than half a million cases of the virus have so far been recorded. Hospitals are reporting severe shortages of medicines and equipment; healthcare workers have left the country, leaving a huge gap in human resources; and the government is failing to pay its dues, which has constrained the operational capacity and preparedness of hospitals.
This multi-layered crisis is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable people, particularly the 250,000 Palestinian refugees living in camps across Lebanon. Food prices and unemployment rates have soared and many refugees are struggling to secure their basic survival needs. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and infants are among those at highest risk in these circumstances, as food insecurity and poor nutrition during pregnancy and infanthood can have short- and long-term consequences.
MAP works in most of the Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon, responding to the immediate needs of those who have been displaced, while working towards sustainable long-term health development.
We support mothers and babies through home-visits by a team of skilled midwives and nurses. These include health screenings, pregnancy follow-ups, and health and nutritional counselling. With the support of United Palestinian Appeal (UPA), MAP has also been able to provide much-needed multi-vitamins to pregnant women, which will help them meet their nutritional requirements during critical stages of pregnancy.
During the cold winter months, we provided food parcels, blankets and fuel for heating to vulnerable refugee families living at high altitudes. We supplied winter clothes kits to children and food parcels to pregnant women and new mothers during Ramadan. This assistance helped alleviate some of the worst suffering.
Our COVID-19 emergency response has included providing personal protective equipment and essential medical supplies to frontline health workers at Palestine Red Crescent Society hospitals. Working with partners, we have adapted our group psychosocial support programmes for young people, parents, and children to provide remote activities during these very stressful times, including for adults and children with disabilities.
We have also helped establish hotlines to provide round-the-clock support to individuals in distress and survivors of gender-based violence.