With the urgent demand for accommodation for 1.2 million displaced people, ‘Mousawat’ has taken the lead in providing shelter and food portions, training, as well as psychological support for a growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North.

‘Mousawat’ is an NGO that operates in the north of the country, working mostly in the Baddawi, Tripoli, Akkar, and Danniyeh areas, providing aid to IDPs, including Lebanese Palestinians, and Syrians.

‘14 days ago, our needs have more than doubled. For example, each school previously hosted six or seven families, but now four to five families are crammed in one single classroom, adding to 300 to 400 individuals in each school’ says Mohammad Younes, the organization’s director.  So far, ‘Mousawat’ is supporting around 4,800 individuals, across 50 shelters and informal settlements in the North.

A growing need to cater to women’s needs

Over the past month, ‘Mousawat’ has given special attention to women’s needs in these exceptional conditions and focused on distributing tens of hygiene kits, including shampoos, soap, and menstrual pads.

‘Women clearly need more privacy than they currently have. The rooms are overcrowded, denying them the space to remove veils, relax, attend to their bodily needs and hygiene in peace, without feeling rushed or embarrassed.’ says Younes.

In addition, ‘Mousawat’ continues to offer its usual training programs and work on disseminating information within Palestinian refugee camps in North Lebanon, which include topics such as Sexual and Reproductive Health, Gender Equality, and Peacebuilding.

To ensure women are heard, ‘Mousawat’ has offered support by using their hotline, available 24/7, where women can report any incident (hotline number 81-434224). Women can report incidents anonymously, and for those who prefer, an online complaint submission through the ‘Ishtaki Application’ is also available.

Communal cooking – an exponential demand

Prior to the crisis, ‘Mousawat’ prepared hot meals in their communal kitchen located in Nahr El Bared Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon. Today, they cook and serve warm lunches for 800 individuals.

With the support of UNRWA in supplying ingredients, the ‘Mousawat’ kitchen is fully operational to cater to the growing need for warm meals for IDPs. Nevertheless, the demand continues to grow with new challenges arising every day.

‘We need to be able to cater for breakfast and dinner as well while improving food quality and nutritional intake. At this rate, our pots and pans are not large enough to cook for such high numbers of people.’

Support in the form of cooking equipment is urgently required to sustain this initiative.

The need for a youth center

Younes and his colleagues are working on setting up a youth center to allow children and young adults from IDPs to have a sense of normal community life.

‘The idea is to create a space where young refugees and IDPs can relax, access the internet, do sports, cultural activities and take classes, to install a sense of normality for people who have lost everything’ Younes mentions.

‘Mousawat’ is trying to secure the necessary support for this project to materialize namely in the form of basic furnishing and internet connectivity. This initiative will turn this space into a safe haven for women and youth to engage in activities they like during these harsh times.

Community impact and volunteer efforts

‘Volunteers are the core of our operation, working 24/7, and everyone is offering a helping hand. They are the heartbeat of our initiative. Their commitment fosters a genuine sense of community and reminds us that there is still goodness in the world’ Younes reflects.

Currently, there are no government-led initiatives to take care of the growing needs in the areas where Mousawat operates. However, the communal response has been extraordinary, with all initiatives driven by people eager to make a difference. With 30 volunteers during normal days, numbers have now tripled, with more and more people joining. This is increasing the need and necessity of training and building the capacities of the new volunteers.

For donations, contact Mohammad Younes: +961 3 705 449