IOM #Lebanon Factsheet: Livelihood Assessment of Lebanese Returnees from #Syria

FACTSHEET

REFUGEES AT HOME A LIVELIHOODS ASSESSMENT OF LEBANESE RETURNEES FROM SYRIA

BACKGROUND

The Syria crisis continues to weigh extremely heavily upon Lebanon. Around a quarter of the population is made up of refugees and the resulting socio-economic impact has affected the country as a whole. Among those affected, Lebanese families who had been living in Syria but fled as a result of the conflict are often particularly vulnerable. Most of these Lebanese returnees had been residing in Syria for decades and face challenges similar to those of refugees. Though they enjoy legal status in the country, returnees are often perceived as Syrians – whether by potential employers or local service providers – and are generally unfamiliar with the services available to them. While some returnees have enjoyed support from friends or family

networks, this is often not the case – especially so long into the crisis. Throughout the start of the emergency response, returnees were not targeted in the same way as refugees and remain, on the whole, an under-assisted group.

In 2013, IOM supported the Lebanese government to register and profile nearly 20,000 returnees across the country.

A year later, IOM commissioned a study on the socio-economic situation of returnee households, to better inform long-term livelihoods programming. The survey was conducted from JuneAugust 2014 and used a sample of 313 returnee households (HHs) across the country, but with a concentration on Akkar and the northern Bekaa.

Ahmed left Tripoli with his family as a boy during the Lebanese civil war and settled in Aleppo. As a young factory worker he lost his arm in an accident, but went on to compete in international sporting events for the disabled. Ahmed and his family have now fled back to Tripoli, where they live in a small room above a warehouse. He complained that while his Syrian relatives had received support, he and other Lebanese had not. “My house and work are in Syria,” Ahmed said, “We’re just waiting for the situation to improve so we can go back.”

FINDINGS

.

Household Background Average household size was 5.7 family members. 8% of HHs were female-headed and 6% were headed by a single individual.

12% of individuals had specific needs (such as pregnant and/ or lactating women, disability, chronic illness or serious medical conditions).

12% of returnees were unemployed. The largest share of active returnees was engaged as low-skilled workers (48%), usually on a daily or seasonal basis. The average daily wage was USD 10.5.

Mixed families: In 64% of HHs, there was at least one individual with Syrian nationality; 35% of individuals held Syrian nationality.

Only 50% of Syrian heads of household in mixed families had registered with UNHCR. 53% of HHs said they intended to return to Syria, 32% percent to integrate locally and 14% were undecided.

. . .

Future intentions.

. . .

Shelter and Assets 72% of HHs were paying some form of rent for accommodation, compared to 82% of Syrian refugees. The average monthly rent paid was USD 193.

25% of HHs were sharing their shelter with other related or unrelated families.

53% of HHs did not own all basic assets (mattresses, blankets, winter clothes and stove), as compared with 59% of Syrian refugees (VASyR 2014).

Type of shelter.

Lebanese Returnees (%)

Syrian refugees -VASyR, 2014 (%)

Independent House/ Apartment

66

59

One room structure

15

16

Factory/Warehouse

2

2

Garage/Shop/Worksite

7

5

Unfinished building

5

2

Collective shelter (6 families or more - unmanaged)

1

1

Formal/informal settlements

3

14

Homeless/No shelter

1

0.5

Other

3

0.5

Type of Residence

For more information, please contact: Martina Iannizzotto Angela Santucci miannizzotto@iom.int asantucci@iom.int +961 70640 250

.

Education and Health 24% of children aged 4-17 were not in school during the academic year 2013-14. Reasons most cited for non-enrollment were “costs of tuition” (49%), “insecurity” (16%) and “transport” (10%).

28% of HHs had been unable to receive needed primary health care and 15% to receive needed secondary health care (compared to 15% and 11% of Syrian refugees, respectively). Reasons cited included “rejected/not accepted” (53%), “unaffordable doctor fees” (31%) and “costs of medication” (30%). 71% of HHs had not benefitted from any health care assistance.

. .

Household income and expenditure In 25% of HHs, no individual had worked during the past month. 50% of HHs had experienced a lack of food or money to buy food for all family members in the past month and had adopted food-related negative coping strategies. Other coping mechanisms used included spending savings (49%), reducing essential non-food expenditures (23%) and withdrawing children from school (15%).

Main sources of income were non-agricultural casual labour, savings and agricultural wage labour. 50% of HHs had borrowed money in the past 3 months, mostly to buy food or pay rent.

Average monthly income was reported as USD 395 and expenditure USD 519. 40% of income was spent of food, 22% on rent and 10% on health expenses.

. .

RECOMMENDATIONS

.

Strengthen the system for referral and registration of Lebanese returnees, including through second round of country-wide registration, ensuring urgent life-saving assistance for the most vulnerable.

Improve coordination of assistance through data sharing where appropriate - and issuing of “proof of registration” cards to returnees.

Facilitate access to Lebanese institutions and services including, for instance, those provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Facilitate access to or provide more livelihoods support through: emergency job creation schemes; job placement programmes; micro-finance/in-kind-grant projects; vocational training programmes.

. . .

This study was funded through contributions from the United States and Kuwait.