NYT reports on Syrian refugees in Lebanon (23 January 2013)

AL-MINYA, LEBANON — For Mohammed al-Ahmad and his wife Zuhour, this is the second cold, wet winter of the war.

They passed the first in the Bab Amr district of Homs, a onetime rebel stronghold that was taken back by government forces last February, after a long and unrelenting siege. Much of the neighborhood was destroyed. They have no home to go back to.Read more

Syrian Refugees Strain Resources in Jordan

MAFRAQ, JORDAN — Shaking with fear, Abu Abdel Hadi tripped and fell three times in the dark as he fled across the desolate desert from Syria into Jordan.

The 65-year-old was clutching his grandchildren, intent on shielding them from snipers who often lie in wait along the border. But that night the family — 19 members in all — made it safely through the danger zone.Read more

Canada to take in 5,000 refugees from Turkey, reports Today's Zaman

Canadian Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, who paid a visit to Syrians living in refugee camps in Turkey on Monday, has stated that his country would resettle up to 5,000 refugees currently living in Turkey by 2018.Read more

ICMC and other agencies provide critical assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan

ICMC distributed 220 winterization assistance packages (funded by ECHO) to extremely vulnerable Syrian refugees and host community members in Sarih, Irbid (in coordination with the Sarih Orphans Centre) and Ramtha (in coordination with Kitab Wa Sunna). Each beneficiary received a good quality gas heater, a gas cylinder and vouchers for three gas re-fills, allowing them to keep warm throughout the coldest period of the winter. In the coming days, ICMC will distribute a further 130 winterization assistance packages in Al-Mafraq.Read more

Face aux 500.000 réfugiés syriens, la machine humanitaire a des ratés

Dans la capitale jordanienne, tous les matins, c’est la même chose. Devant l’immeuble du haut-commissariat de l’ONU aux réfugiés (HCR), des centaines de personnes se pressent, bravant le froid piquant. Beaucoup de Syriens, et encore plus de Syriennes. Les yeux des femmes sont rouges, quand ils ne sont pas encore gorgés de larmes.Read more

Urban Refugees in Amman: Mainstreaming of Healthcare

Mainstreaming of refugees into host country health, education and social service programs presents unique challenges in urban areas. Even when governments are open to such mainstreaming, refugees experience numerous barriers to utilization of mainstream programs while host communities find that often limited resources are stretched thin while accommodating a new population in need of services. To respond to these challenges, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) adopted policy guidelines in 2009 that set out new approaches for addressing the needs of urban refugees.Read more