Background

• It has been estimated that anywhere from 68,000 to 600,000 people in Lebanon were displaced during the civil war and Israeli invasions of 1978 and 1982, and that 200,000 people remain in a situation of displacement following the summer 2006 war.
• Lebanon has the largest proportion of refugees living in abject poverty, and the largest proportion enrolled in the agency’s ‘Special Hardship Program’, a program that was developed to assist those who could not meet their basic needs for food and shelter.
• There are currently 12 official refugee camps under UNRWA’s responsibility and an additional 39 unofficial camps called “gatherings” which do not receive support from UNRWA. The gatherings were created as 63,000 Palestinians fled two official refugee camps that were completely demolished and never reconstructed during the Lebanese civil war of 1976 and the Israeli invasion of 1982.

What We Do

Right To Play is committed to increasing sport and play opportunities for children in the Middle East. Since 2004, Right To Play has successfully implemented projects in the Middle East, including the occupied Palestinian territory (2004), Lebanon (2006) Dubai, U.A.E (2006), and most recently in Jordan (late-2006). Our programs have been designed to: build local capacity to lead sport and play programming for children; contribute to physical fitness; and enhance psychological capacities of children, youth and adults. We plan to expand our efforts to reach 31,000 more children from Palestine refugee and Lebanese communities, train 1180 Local Coaches, and indirectly reach approximately 100,000 family members. Refugee life is characterised by stress, loneliness, boredom, and overcrowding, but by working with the UN we are creating the space and providing the coaches and equipment for refugee children to play and learn skills that will hopefully improve their futures.

So Far

Right To Play Programming in Lebanon has faced significant challenges as a result of the war in the summer of 2006 and the war in Nahr al Bared refugee camp in the north of Lebanon during the summer of 2007. Despite these hardships, the Right To Play program in Lebanon has made tremendous strides: 30 Community Volunteers were trained in the Red Ball Child Play program and led daily activities for approximately 5,500 children in 100 centers for Internally Displaced People during the summer war of 2006; 1140 youth, teachers and Local Coaches and Community volunteers are now trained in Red Ball Child Play and Early Child Play modules; and 1500 teachers from partner schools and Local Coaches from partner organizations lead activities for approximately 27,000 children in centres, schools and pre-schools.