The troubles in Syria will apparently have long-term effects, according a study by Oxfam, an international group that represents organizations that run anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs around the world. In a new study, Oxfam said that the refugees from Syria will be facing long-term suffering and poverty that could go on for years, perhaps decades,
“Refugees from Syria face a daily battle to survive in a country where jobs and affordable accommodation are scarce. The perpetual hunt for work is crushing people’s hope,” Oxfam Deputy Humanitarian Director Nigel Timmins said in a statement Thursday. Families, he said, “are spiraling deeper and deeper into debt, living in cramped and overcrowded accommodation, with few job prospects.”
The biggest problem for refugees from Syria is in Lebanon, where there no jobs for them at all. Currently, there are over 800,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The study shows that most of them are living in refugee camps with an income of about $250 a month, nearly all of it supplied by international aid groups.
Most of that money has come from the US, the UK, and France, with scant resources supple by Arab countries in the region, it should be noted.
“One of the most tragic aspects of the refugees’ predicament in Lebanon is the plight of the children’s future. The survey found that only 25 per cent of children are enrolled in schools, pointing to a generation of Syrian children missing out on a much-needed education,” the statement added. The international community must act to prevent an even worse tragedy, the group said, adding that “failure is not an option.”