Abstract
<p>In the context of ongoing armed conflicts, efforts to provide humanitarian care are often not sustainable or effective in the long run. Additionally, there is a significant gap between interventions that are theoretically feasible and those that are actually implemented in practice. Building on these foundations and challenged by the limited publications on Syrian refugees, especially the elder population, we explore the understudied connection between the day to day elder refugee experience on one hand and the lack of building resources from within on the other. We take the example of Lebanon, where as many as 4000 Syrian refugees crossed into its territory daily and which now has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Lebanon has limited resources and funding and is strained under this socioeconomic burden. Due to this harsh reality, refugees’ simplest needs are largely unmet and they are easy targets for retaliation by local civilians competing for basic resources. Needless to say, elderly refugees suffer most from these inequities and their status is particularly vulnerable. Within this context, and based on ongoing fieldwork, we offer a conceptual framework which calls for effective and sustainable interventions nurturing resilience in elderly refugees and ultimately aiming to help decrease tensions between the host communities and refugees.</p>
Highlights
1.1 The Syrian CrisisThe United Nations (UN) has acknowledged that the Syrian Civil War is the worst humanitarian crisis to date, surpassing even the horrors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide (UN says Syria refugee crisis worst since Rwanda, 2013)
There are few resources available to them to address their neurological and psychological needs (From the field: Syrian refugees in Lebanon risk their lives for medical treatment, 2014)
Of all the Middle Eastern countries, the smallest, Lebanon, has absorbed almost 40% of all refugees and to date has the highest number of refugees per capita, even after considering the number of Syrian refugees that fled to Europe
Summary
1.1 The Syrian CrisisThe United Nations (UN) has acknowledged that the Syrian Civil War is the worst humanitarian crisis to date, surpassing even the horrors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide (UN says Syria refugee crisis worst since Rwanda, 2013). While the conflict in Syria rages on, civilians continue to be displaced. Over 6000 refugees continue to flee Syria and recognize that Syria is not likely to be in a position to welcome its people back in the foreseeable future. Over 4.5 million Syrian have fled their country (UNHCR, 2016). UN Refugee Chief Antonio Gutteres stated that surrounding countries’ acceptance of Syrian refugees saved the refugees’ lives, he acknowledged the “crushing” effects that the overwhelming numbers of refugees have had on the host countries (UNHCR, 2013). Over 4000 of those refugees crossed into Lebanon on a daily basis making up 25 to 40% of the small country’s population, and straining its already fragile social, political, geographic, and economic infrastructure (Dahi, 2013)
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