Living in a refugee camp near the Lebanese border is hard enough. Add a disability, and survival becomes a daily struggle.
The story of Souhour, a young disabled Syrian woman, and Abu Ali's family is one of respect, solidarity, and mutual care. Abu Ali owns a farm in Hermel, in the northern Bekaa Valley. When he saw Souhour abandoned on the streets of Zahle, he immediately contacted GVC's office—an organization that provides shelter, water, and sanitation services in the informal camps where 200,000 refugees live.
Moved by her situation, Abu Ali made a choice: he opened his land to Souhour's family. Now the young woman lives in a tent in his yard and has become friends with his daughter, close to her own age. Days ago, with support from ECHO—European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations—GVC delivered a latrine designed specifically for disabled people living in camps. For Souhour, it was a day of celebration. The only way she could express her joy was to fill her phone screen with an endless string of hearts. An old smartphone has become her lifeline—the way she talks to the world outside and answers questions from Leila, a GVC social worker in Lebanon.
Confined to a wheelchair, Souhour has severe difficulty speaking. She is from Homs, in Syria. The war forced her to flee with her mother and sister. Now the three of them live in a tent in Al Qasr, on the Syrian-Lebanese border. Mobility problems make life unbearable for disabled people in camps, deepening the isolation that already comes from discrimination and blocked access to education in Lebanon.
This is why GVC became among the first organizations worldwide to deliver latrines specially designed for disabled people in Lebanon's informal camps. In the country, GVC works to strengthen social cohesion, inclusion, and refugee integration. The organization distributes tents for shelter, repairs water systems, and provides sanitation services. It targets the most vulnerable while improving facilities for entire communities. Lebanon hosts one million registered Syrian refugees—the highest per-capita number in the world—on just 10,452 square kilometers, with a population of roughly 4.2 million.
Integrating disabled people in Lebanon is an uphill battle. Poor protections for those with physical or mental disabilities often push refugee children out of school and leave families isolated, struggling alone with the weight of their children's illness.
Photos by Lorenzo Tugnoli for GVC Lebanon
Source: TPI News