FIRST REFUGEES RETURN TO NAHR EL-BARED CAMP
Monday, October 8th, 2007PRESS STATEMENT
UNRWA Beirut October 8, 2007
The Lebanese Army has granted, as a first step, permission today to more than 400 displaced families from Nahr el-Bared to enter the new camp as of Wednesday 10 October.
The displaced families will be allowed in the new camp by groups of 100 families per day. The return process is organized by UNRWA in collaboration with the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee, the popular committee of Nahr El Bared camp, the PLO and the alliance of Palestinian forces.
Non-Governmental Organizations in coordination with UNRWA and funded by ECHO will be repairing the accommodations, in preparation for the return. UNRWA with ICRC, UNICEF, and the Islamic Relief is working on the rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the new camp.
This move will ease the pressure of overcrowding in Beddawi camp and will also assist in vacating the Lebanese governmental schools of displaced families.
In addition to this, UNRWA is constructing Phase 1 of temporary accommodation near Nahr El Bared camp to house some 122 families until the camp is reconstructed. Thirty two units of these will be finalized in the coming days and the rest will follow in two to three weeks.
The Agency has been providing many displaced families with rental subsidies for temporary accommodation and will continue to do so. So far, 1195 families have already received such subsidies and about 665 applications are under consideration.
UNRWA is preparing emergency items to be distributed to the displaced families returning to the camp including mattresses, pillows, blankets, kitchen kits, hygiene kits and food parcels.
However, thousands of displaced families are still hosted by other families in Beddawi or other locations in Lebanon.
Hoda Samra Souaiby
Public Information Officer