Lebanon is “home” to many thousands of refugees. In 2012 the first refugees started arriving from Syria – many were Palestinians from families who had sought refuge in Syria from regional conflicts as long ago as 1948 and 1967.
These Syrian-Palestinian refugees arrived at the 12 official camps, and the 27 unofficial “gatherings” spread throughout Lebanon. These camps were already bursting at the seams but still received these new arrivals, after seeing their plight, many having only what they could carry in a blanket or towel.
In early 2014 a new wave of Syrian-Palestinian refugee families arrived in Camp X, from the Yarmouk Palestinian Camp in the suburbs of Damascus. This camp had been held under siege for over a year and arrived at Camp X with children extremely malnourished, and in desperate need of medical care. Many were suffering ear damage from bombs and shells going off as they fled Damascus, many also suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, sleep and nervous disorders, hypertension etc.