Marwa is 14 and lives with her family in Bazouriye, in the South Lebanon Governorate. She arrived with her family from Damascus and now attends a local school, where she has become one of the #waterheroes: people who understand the importance of protecting water resources and reducing waste. The activities of Marwa and her classmates at school as part of days dedicated to “water heroes” are part of Water Access and Development (WAAD), an ambitious project that INTERSOS, ACTED and Action Against Hunger are implementing in both Lebanon and Jordan. Thanks to WAAD and EU funding, in Akkar, Bekaa, the North Lebanon and South Lebanon governorates, Mount Lebanon and Nabatieh, about 200,000 people will benefit from new water infrastructure and more secure access to drinking water.
They will also gain greater awareness about conservation, pollution and the dangers inherent in illegal use of public facilities. ”In the camp where I live there was very little water until a few months ago,” Marwa said. ”But we had no choice. We need to drink. Sometimes we would get water from the gutter and try to purify it as best we could before drinking it. Many children got diarrhea. Even my younger brother did and ended up losing a lot of weight in a very short time. He was in hospital for many days before my parents brought him home.” The awareness raising in schools is part of a project that INTERSOS – with support from the MADAD Trust Fund, which the EU set up in response to the Syrian conflict – is developing in 23 areas of Lebanon to ensure access to basic services, with a focus on water, washroom facilities and healthcare.
Almost 8 years after the conflict in Syria began, the humanitarian conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are ever more difficult. There are officially a million but estimates say that over 1.5 million Syrians have arrived in the country since the uprising and ensuing crackdown in March 2011: almost one for every four Lebanese. In a country already suffering an unemployment crisis and deteriorating infrastructure, the arrival of so many people has had a major effect on access to services, especially water, waste water management and healthcare. ”Of all the restrictions and sacrifices that we have had to make since we were forced to leave our home, the lack of water is what has created the most problems in daily life,” Marwa’s father Hassan said. ”We almost lost our son. But at least we are safe. If we had stayed in Syria our family wouldn’t be here anymore.” (ANSAmed).