Beirut, 11 September 2019 (ESCWA)-- ESCWA and its partners concluded a 3-day training on 6 September aimed at empowering women refugees from Syria and vulnerable women in Akkar, Lebanon, to play an active role in improving their lives and advocating for their rights.
134 Lebanese women and refugees and Lebanese gathered in the northern town of Bebnine, at the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs’ Centre, for the training. This was the second phase of a project launched last year by ESCWA and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) to assist and empower women refugees from Syria and vulnerable women and girls in host communities in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.
The training facilitators, five Lebanese women and five Syrian refugees, had benefited from the first phase of the project in July. In seven sessions, they raised participants’ awareness on the rights of women refugees and the role of women in peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery, and in host community resilience.
The trainees worked on identifying immediate needs and priorities of women refugees in their host country, and in the eventual post-conflict recovery process in Syria. They also identified ways for local vulnerable women and girls to better cope with the living conditions in their respective communities.
“The most vital human right is to have our voices heard as women,” Nisrine, one of the participants, said. Others expressed their lingering thoughts and fears: Najiha worried about feeding her family and their struggle with hunger, while Rachida’s most pressing concern was to get employed.
“As a female Syrian refugee in Lebanon, I need education and protection against the violence and discrimination inflicted on me. I need work. I need financial and emotional support,” expressed Ferial, “I want to feel safe again and at home. I want to reclaim my house, my land and my properties,” she added.
For more information:
Ms Rania Harb, Public Information Assistant, +961-70-008-879; harb1@un.org
