UNHCR launches campaign to protect Syrian refugees from harsh winter

The UN Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) launched Wednesday a regional winter campaign to protect the most vulnerable refugee families in Lebanon and other neighboring countries from possible winter storms.

The UNHCR said "winter preparations are in full swing to help some 15 million displaced Syrian people survive the coming winter across the Middle East, in countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and Syria where several villages and towns experience repeated waves of snowfall, heavy rain, and strong winds."

It added Lebanon currently hosts around 1.1 million Syrian refugees, and more than half of them live in garages, abandoned buildings, and makeshift tented settlements.

Last year, winter hit early in November and continued until late March, with several villages experiencing waves of snowfall, strong winds and heavy rain.

"UNHCR and partners estimate that 195,000 Syrian families, or 975,000 people, will suffer from a harsh winter and need assistance to keep warm and dry," the statement said, stressing that "impoverished Lebanese communities are also suffering."

UNHCR said it has doubled the number of people receiving support for winter in Lebanon this year because of the increased vulnerability among the refugee population.

As Syrian civil war enters its fifth year, around four million Syrians have fled abroad, while nearly 12 million are displaced inside Syria, according to figures from the United Nations. Endit