How we are supporting and empowering refugees

Around the world, millions of refugees have been stripped of all of their belongings, feelings of safety, community and everything that is familiar to them.

Most refugees, who are forced to flee their homes, sometimes overnight, have to face immense hardships, from difficulty accessing basic services to establishing their lives again.

Children and women are some of the worst affected in times of crisis, with children left without education and mothers left struggling to provide food and sufficient shelter for their children. In some desperate cases, mothers have been forced to make the heartbreaking decision to abandon their children as they are unable to provide for them.

Here, we highlight the different ways we empower refugees, and also suggest different ways you can help.

1. Formal education for refugee children at the Aman School of Excellence

The Aman School of Excellence, which is located in the Beqaa region of Lebanon caters to around 650 children from refugee and disadvantaged backgrounds.

The school, which has been sponsored through donations, provides formal education to mainly Syrian and Palestinian refugees who have been forced to flee their homes and were forced out of school. For most of the children at the school, they have no other access to schools, as they live in squalid conditions in refugee camps.

The school has trained staff and teachers as well as a psycho-support centre which helps children who face post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of being displaced from their homes. Some of the children suffer from nightmares, reliving the event, depression, angry outbursts and being triggered by certain things. By providing support through well trained professionals, we are able to help children make a recovery and settle into normal life.
The school also has a large playground, a newly opened library as well as a centre which provides robotic arms to children who may have lost their arms.

You can help us support refugee children attend the school by sponsoring a child through our website. The sponsorship allows the child access to the school, as well as covers the costs for their uniform and transport to the school in addition to any other equipment they may need.

2. Distributing food packages, fuel and water

Survival is the main priority for most refugees, especially for those who have experienced devastating circumstances. Finding work can often be difficult as they often have limited rights if forced to move to a new country, which hinders their prospects of earning money to buy food and other essentials. Over time, and in countries such as Lebanon where there is a crippling economic crisis, this means that many families go hungry.

In Afghanistan, a similar situation is unfolding where families in remote villages have no access to fuel or water after being displaced.

At AMA, our teams are regularly on the ground providing food aid, fuel during the winter and clean and safe water.

You can donate towards food packages, fuel and water by donating online to a country of your choice, and our teams will ensure that it reaches the communities most in need.

3. Rehabilitating tents

Conditions in refugee camps can be grueling, with snow covering tents in the winter, frequent flooding and scorching temperatures in the summer.

Due to refugee status, most are not allowed to reinforce their tents and have limited space, meaning that people will use discarded scraps to stop their homes from blowing or withering away in the extreme weather conditions.

In order to support refugee communities, AMA rehabilitates tents by ensuring they are well insulated, have a raised ground to prevent flooding and are safe.

Typically, the tents are small, with an entire family sleeping in one room, which is dangerously close to the kitchen and the toilet. By cleaning the space and renovating tents, AMA helps refugees feel a sense of dignity and ensures they have a safe space to live in, which is also warm during the winter and can give the family privacy.

One of the most notable recent examples is our rebuilding of tents at the al Wafaa refugee camp in Lebanon, which was burnt down. In a matter of hours, the entire camp’s residents were displaced from their homes as it all turned into ash and rubble. In the same day, AMA was on the ground re-building the tents, so residents would not be forced to sleep out in the cold.

 

4. Building mosques and community centers

In countries such as Malawi and Mozambique, as well as Lebanon, where there are large populations of displaced people, mosques and community centers offer a safe place.

Mosques not only bring people together, but they also create a sense of community. This is particularly important for refugees who may face numerous challenges and in a country where they have been forced to leave their familiar surroundings.

The AMA sponsored mosques also provide Islamic education to young children.

5. Installing water wells and boreholes

For refugees living in temporary dwellings, often there is limited access to clean and safe water.

Over time, this can cause a range of diseases, which can sometimes be fatal.

Every year, thousands of people around the world die from water-related diseases.

By installing boreholes and water wells in remote areas and in camps, refugees are able to have access to water which can be used for their own consumption or for cleaning and sanitation.