In January, the British government told its diplomats to start finding 50–70% cuts in aid funding. In March, it was revealed it was slashing aid funding to Syrian refugee projects by a third. Among the many casualties of those cuts is a project in Lebanon.
Two centres – in Zahlé and in Beirut – offer specialised services, such as speech and physiotherapy, for disabled Syrian refugees who can’t afford to pay for them.
This year, an average of 7,200 rehabilitation and psychosocial support sessions will no longer be delivered, affecting 1,500 disabled people directly and 9,000 people indirectly, including caregivers and wider communities.
Since 2011, when the war in Syria began, more than 1.5 million people have crossed in neighbouring Lebanon to avoid bombs and fighting. When basic food and shelter are in scant supply, the needs of people with disabilities get left behind.
Humanity and Inclusion (HI) is a charity that provides support to disabled people and their families in Lebanon, in a project primarily funded by UK aid, as well as People’s Postcode Lottery. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will no longer continue its funding, severely disrupting the centres’ work. Funds raised by People’s [...]