WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY

Beyond is a local NGO working in the field responding to the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon. Numerous volunteers and aid workers work all over the Bekaa region to provide psycho-social support and health services to tens of thousands of refugee children and families. Today, on Humanitarian Work Day we celebrate their work and our partnership.

What stands out about Beyond Association and their work is their connection to the people and their skills. They remember people’s names, their stories and what they need. They establish trust from the community and have a good reputation. They always visit their locations to check on them, sit with them, and share their happiness and their sadness while they drop by to weddings and funerals. Even within themselves as an organization they all treat each other with love, respect, open communication and lots of joking around. They feel like a family unit and the community their extended family.

Beyond’s work in the field includes providing Learn & Play activities for refugee children. For Syrian refugee children these safe Learn & Play spaces are places in which they receive emotional support, interact and sing. The humanitarian aid workers support children in exploring their creative capabilities. #ShareHumanity

With UNICEF’s support, Beyond Association provides medical support through mobile medical tents. In these tents refugees can get free medication for basic ailments. Doctors, nurses and midwives also share information about newborn health and hygiene issues. During these consultations each person is given a health card that has a code. Once the code is scanned, their medical history will appear on screen and follow-up is made easy.

On June 1st 2015, a fire broke out in Al Marj camp leaving 69 tents burnt to the ground, which also meant 69 families were now displaced. Tragically, one child died in the incident from suffocation.

Beyond’s emergency team went on a regular basis to play games and sing songs with children to distract them for the from the tragedy they’ve been through. They also had role play sessions where kids would discuss the fire that had taken place. Other kids offered to help by sharing whatever they could spare, like an extra blanket. On their last visit they threw a farewell party with live music that attracted families from around the camp.

Psycho social support is offered to women and young girls to empower them to deal with issues related to Gender Based Violence and early marriages. Some of the support sessions are done using visual aids, such as being asked to pick a visual and talk about why they chose it and what it means to them.