INTRODUCTION
In 2014, UNHCR initiated a targeted seasonal support programme to help refugees cope with the additional burden related to winter through shelter activities, core relief items, and targeted cash assistance. In 2015, UNHCR doubled the extent of winter cash assistance compared to the previous year to account for the increasing vulnerability of Syrian refugees overall. In 2015, all food eligible and vulnerable refugees falling under UNHCR’s mandate were provided multipurpose cash assistance, with an amount dependent on the exposure to cold according to altitude.
On 22 March 2016, UNHCR brought together staff from the field and the various sector units to review the implementation of UNHCR’s winter assistance program for 2015 - 2016. The workshop provided an opportunity to reflect and offer lessons learned that will inform the program design for the 2016 - 2017 winter season, a time when refugees face additional hardship and increased needs. This update provides a snapshot of the workshop’s findings.
Winter assistance 2015 – 2016
The 2015 vulnerability assessment for Syrian refugees (VASyR) found that 70% of refugee households are now living below the poverty line of USD 3.84 per person per day, as compared to 50% in 2014. Given the large-scale needs, and based on socio-economic vulnerabilities and exposure to winter conditions, UNHCR aimed to assist 163,000 refugee families, and 53,000 vulnerable Lebanese families between November 2015 and March 2016, reaching more than a million people in total. Cash support – an efficient and effective modality and preferred by refugees – was supplemented by distribution of fuel cards, blankets and stoves, as well as shelter weatherproofing activities.
The distribution of shelter weatherproofing kits, which help families protect their homes and shelters from the elements, is a year round activity; by the end of March, almost 27,000 households had received shelter kits, and more than 2,400 households have benefited from site improvements in informal settlements to reduce flooding due to winter rain and snow.
Core-relief items, primarily high thermal blankets and diesel stoves, were distributed to refugees who did not receive such items in the previous years or who were in need of additional assistance. This winter, UNHCR worked alongside the National Poverty Targeting Programme (NPTP), under the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA), to support vulnerable Lebanese with high thermal blankets and food support in collaboration with WFP.
As UNHCR’s 2015-16 winter assistance program came to a close, a Post-Distribution Monitoring exercise was initiated. More than 2,000 families were contacted by UNHCR through phone interviews with the aim of assessing how effectively beneficiaries were able to access winter assistance, and for which purpose winter assistance was used. These results, combined with targeted Focus Group Discussions, inform UNHCR’s evaluation of the 2015-2016 winter assistance program.