Psychosocial Support and Dialogue in the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon
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PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND DIALOGUE IN THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC AND LEBANON International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons, P.O. Box 17, 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 717 9111 • Fax: +41 22 798 6150 Email: [email protected] • Website: www.iom.int The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. This publication was developed with the contribution of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the Agency's point of view. Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons P.O. Box 17 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel: +41 22 717 9111 Fax: +41 22 798 6150 Email: [email protected] Website: www.iom.int Cover photo: Untitled by Anas Albraehe, oil on canvas. The painting is a personal feedback of Albraehe – who is a professional painter and a student of the master’s programme – to one module of the course. © 2014/Anas ALBRAEHE ____________________________________________________ © 2018 International Organization for Migration (IOM) ____________________________________________________ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. 54_18 PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND DIALOGUE IN THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC AND LEBANON Publication from the Executive Professional Master’s Programme on Psychosocial Support and Dialogue Editors: Andrea de Guttry Chiara Macchi Guglielmo Schininà Foreword More than 18 million civilians are affected by the Syrian conflict. Over 5 million Syrian citizens had to flee the country, seeking refuge abroad, and particularly in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. This endless tragedy has now entered its sixth year. There are people who were born in the refugee camps and never had the opportunity to live a normal life. The impact of the catastrophe is particularly harsh on children and young generations, and also on mothers, the elderly, the disabled and all the most vulnerable categories of civilians, who are always the first victims of conflicts and forced displacement. It is on these vulnerable categories that the efforts of Cooperazione Italiana are mostly focused. Since the inception of the crisis, Italy has allocated significant resources (EUR 125 million) to help alleviate the sufferings of the civilian population. We have responded to the vibrant appeal by the UN Secretary-General to “leave no one behind”, which means to prioritize in our action the support to the weakest and the most vulnerable, as well as the protection of human dignity. Pope Francis has chosen to dedicate the Extraordinary Year of Jubilee to the same values of solidarity and mercy. We pursue these objectives mainly by targeting the basic needs of populations – food, health care and education – and also by financing social work in Lebanon and Jordan. We aim at providing the heads of families with an income and restoring their sense of dignity. We also provide the victims of the conflict with psychosocial support, with a view to gradually healing the wounds of violence and gender-based violence. Besides its commitment to humanitarian assistance in situations of emergency, Cooperazione Italiana is very active in the area of development, as the latter allows for the accomplishment of two objectives. On the one hand, it contributes to strengthening Italy’s political role in the Middle East, a key strategic area for international relations and security that has always occupied a central position in the country’s external policy. On the other hand, it helps create the conditions for developing a local civil society, reinforcing the resilience of local populations and creating the most effective antidote to the risk of diffusion of radical and extremist ideologies in the Middle Eastern region. In particular, the focus of our present and future work is on the young generations, prioritizing education and professional training. At the same time, we pursue a continuous support to gender equality, being convinced that women’s contribution can be decisive to the construction of a new Middle East. Our focus on youth aims at ensuring that a Syrian “lost generation” does not result from the conflict. Allowing Syrian children to go to school is necessary to ensure that they can enjoy a safe and peaceful environment. Investing in education means giving the Syrian Arab Republic new hope in a peaceful future, as school is the best deterrent against the dangers PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND DIALOGUE IN THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC AND LEBANON iii of violence and radicalization. This does not only entail the formal schooling system, but also the so-called “informal education”, providing children with safe spaces where they can play, practise sports and take part in artistic laboratories. In this way, children have the possibility to cultivate their talents, pursue their passions and forget for a few hours the horrors of war. Cooperazione Italiana is very active in this field, particularly in Lebanon. We will continue on this path until it will be necessary, until the light of reason will illuminate the darkness of this endless conflict. Our objective will remain the same: to leave no one behind. We are not alone in this demanding effort, and this inspires us to continue our action with patience and dedication. We can count on thousands of volunteers and humanitarian workers, young men and women collaborating with us in the implementation of the many humanitarian assistance and development cooperation projects currently ongoing in the Syrian Arab Republic and in other countries of the region. By supporting the master’s degree programme in Psychosocial Support and Dialogue, from which this publication stems, the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Italy has contributed to the training of Syrian and Lebanese professionals who will reinforce the pool of local experts committed to providing populations affected by conflict and migration with specialized psychosocial support. Ambassador Pietro Sebastiani* Rome, 23 August 2017 * H.E. Pietro Sebastiani is the former Director General for Development Cooperation at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. He is currently the Italian Ambassador at the Holy See. iv FOREWORD Acknowledgements The editorial team and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) wish to thank all those who made the publication of this volume and the organization of the Executive Master’s programme possible. We are grateful for the precious analysis and research work carried out by the three international experts who authored the chapters of this publication – Marie-Adele Salem, Alessandra Rossi Ghiglione and Oussama Safa. We give our most sincere thanks to the IOM psychosocial team in the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon, in particular Amal Ataya, project manager; Nisrine Yassine, master’s degree coordinator; Maysa Hassan, national officer, together with the Chief of IOM Missions in both countries. We are also grateful to the presidency and faculty of the Lebanese University, particularly the President, the Dean of Social Sciences and the Dean of Applied Arts, as well as the core faculty of the course, including Professor Frederic Maatouk, the director of the course; Professor Nizar Abou-Jaoude, its senior tutor; and Professor Souleiman Kassouha from the University of Damascus. Finally, we wish to thank all the trainers and mainly the students, for the incredible work they do and their commitment to building their capacity even further to better serve others. PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND DIALOGUE IN THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC AND LEBANON v Contents Foreword ..............................................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................................................v List of tables and figures...............................................................................................................................viii Preface ...................................................................................................................................................................ix Chapter 1 Psychosocial support and dialogue in Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic: Psychosocial support approaches in crisis-affected countries ........................................................1 1.1.