Through their own lens: Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Aya, Jameel, Fteim, Yasmin and Mohamad were given a camera to document their lives. They are among the 1.2 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon and recipients of EU-funded cash assistance in a country where life is getting harder by the day.

9 out of 10 refugee families in Lebanon are living in extreme poverty. They cannot afford a range of essential goods and services considered crucial for survival.

Given the prolonged multi-dimensional crisis, the limited income opportunities, and their fragile legal status, cash assistance and other forms of aid are a lifeline for refugees in Lebanon.

The EU funds the World Food Program (WFP) to assist the most vulnerable refugees with monthly cash transfers. The assistance helps recipients meet their essential needs. In July 2022 alone, WFP assisted over 37,000 Syrian households.

In addition, via its EU Trust Fund for Syria (EUTF Syria), the EU supports vulnerable people in Lebanon with monthly cash assistance.

In September 2022, around 345,000 Lebanese and over 230,000 Syrian refugees received monthly cash assistance for food and other essential needs thanks to the EUTF-funded project run by the WFP.

Aya capturing a photo while holding the camera in front of her face. — 19-year-old Aya lives with her family in the Lebanese town of Majdal Aanjar, located in the Bekaa Valley. Originally from Damascus, she came to Lebanon in 2016. Despite serious shortcomings, cash assistance has lifted some pressure off the family.
© Adrian Hartrick, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

2 children sitting in front of a seat while looking in the lens — Aya lives with her two children, aged 4 and 1.5, her husband, her brother-in-law, her sister and her parents. Up until late 2020, they were not receiving any assistance and their debts were getting out of control.
© Aya, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Fteim holding a toddler while 2 of the other children sit next to them. — Fteim lives with her four children and husband in a tent on a quiet rural road in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Life is still a struggle. The winters are cold and the summers very hot. They chose this spot because they didn't want to live in a camp or a town.
© Adrian Hartrick, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

3 children holding bags with vegetables — Fteim started receiving cash assistance for food and basic needs in 2019. Despite living near a farm, they still need to purchase vegetables from mobile truck vendors. She wished they had some land to grow their own. Food prices keep on rising.
© Fteim, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Photo of Jameel — Jameel, a father of three, lives with his wife and children in an informal tented settlement in Bekaa. Being unemployed, cash assistance helps him to pay off debts. He said if cash assistance were to stop, he would no longer have any source of income.
© Adrian Hartrick, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

View of a kitchen table with jars holding rice, bulgur, and beans. — As Jameel and his family’s costs greatly exceed their monthly cash transfer, they can only afford to buy basic food items. Vegetables are now a rarity in their diet consisting primarily of rice, bulgur, and beans.
© Jameel, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Photo of Mohamad — Mohamad was 11 when he fled Homs. He is the oldest of 3 siblings. He works installing TV satellites, and his father works in a grocery store. They have been receiving monthly cash assistance for food and basic needs since the summer of 2020.
© Adrian Hartrick, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

2 photos, left stairs with painting jars, right a boy watering plants and herbs standing on a table — The family keeps a small vegetable garden on their balcony and raises chickens. This provides the family with a constant source of eggs and protein.
© Mohamad, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Photo of Yasmin sitting in a sofa — Yasmin (30) is a single mother with 2 children. She fled Damascus in 2014 and lives in the town of Majdal Aanjar. Living with her mother, two brothers, a sister-in-law, and a niece, they have difficulty making ends meet.
© Adrian Hartrick, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Yasmeen and her family sharing a meal, sitting on the floor while all kind of dishes are inbetween them. — Yasmeen has been receiving cash assistance since 2021. It has allowed her to be less dependent on her brothers. This assistance has provided relief for Yasmin in terms of food, basic needs, and medication.
© Yasmin, 2022. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

_{Story by CAMEALEON (The Cash Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Organizational Network)
Publication date: 04/01/2023}

Through their own lens: Syrian refugees in Lebanon

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