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A CLEAN and DECENT LIFE WITHOUT WASH? the Impacts and Risks of Reduced WASH Funding for Syrian Refugees in Bekaa, Lebanon JOHN ADAMS INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT

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A CLEAN and DECENT LIFE WITHOUT WASH? the Impacts and Risks of Reduced WASH Funding for Syrian Refugees in Bekaa, Lebanon JOHN ADAMS INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT OXFAM RESEARCH REPORTS MARCH 2018 Basterna, from Raqqa in Syria, washes clothes by hand at an informal settlement for Syrian refugees near the town of Baalbek in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Photo: Sam Tarling/Oxfam A CLEAN AND DECENT LIFE WITHOUT WASH? The impacts and risks of reduced WASH funding for Syrian refugees in Bekaa, Lebanon JOHN ADAMS INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT Lebanon hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrians who have fled the war in their country since 2011. Funding for assistance for refugees and refugee-affected populations in Lebanon is declining sharply across all sectors. As of January 2018, only 9% of the year’s WASH sector appeal had been secured. Unless more funding is secured there will be substantial reductions in WASH services for refugee communities.This report is an analysis of impacts and risks of reduced and limited WASH funding on Syrian refugees in informal tented settlements in Bekaa, Lebanon. www.oxfam.org CONTENTS Acronyms .................................................................................................................. 3 Executive summary ............................................................................................ 4 1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 8 1.1 Background to the study ................................................................................. 8 1.2 Problem statement .......................................................................................... 8 1.3 Aim and objectives of the study ...................................................................... 9 1.4 Description of wash services to ITS ................................................................ 9 1.5 Presentation of the study report .................................................................... 10 2 Methodology .............................................................................................. 12 2.1 Research focus ............................................................................................. 12 2.2 Research approach and methods ................................................................. 12 2.3 Sampling ...................................................................................................... 13 2.4 Challenges and limitations ............................................................................ 15 3 The situation of its households and communities as it relates to WASH service reduction .............................................................................................. 17 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Geography of the Bekaa Valley .................................................................... 17 3.3 Living conditions for ITS residents ................................................................ 18 3.4 The political and social context for Syrian refugees in the Bekaa .................. 21 3.5 Social structures and dynamics in the ITS .................................................... 26 3.6 Refugees’ perceptions and feelings about their situation .............................. 28 3.7 Refugees’ livelihoods strategies.................................................................... 30 4 Consequences of WASH service reduction to ITS ..................................... 32 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 32 4.2 Coping strategies for managing reduced WASH services and their direct consequences ......................................................................................................... 33 4.3 Impacts of reduction of WASH services ........................................................ 38 5 Conclusions ............................................................................................... 49 6 Recommendations ..................................................................................... 51 Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 52 Annex 1: Summary of strategies to cope with reduced WASH services ................... 53 Annex 2: List of key informants ............................................................................... 54 Notes 56 2 A Clean and Decent Life Without WASH? The impacts and risks of reduced WASH funding for Syrian refugees in Bekaa, Lebanon ACRONYMS ACH Acción contra el Hambre AJEM Association Justice et Miséricorde CHV Community Hygiene Volunteer CISP Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli CTV Community Technical Volunteer ECHO European Civil protection and Humanitarian aid Operations FSL Food security and livelihoods GAC Global Affairs Canada IAMP Inter-Agency Mapping Platform IMC International Medical Corps ITS Informal tented settlement MEAL Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning NRC Norwegian Refugee Council Sawa Sawa for Development and Aid UNHCR United Nations Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund VASyR 2017 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon 2017 WASH Water, sanitation and hygiene WVI World Vision International WFP World Food Programme 3 A Clean and Decent Life Without WASH? The impacts and risks of reduced WASH funding for Syrian refugees in Bekaa, Lebanon EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Lebanon hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrians who have fled the war in their country since 2011. Funding for assistance for refugees and refugee-affected populations in Lebanon is declining sharply across all sectors. In 2017, the WASH sector, which is the focus of this study, received just US$60m of a total appeal for $280m, to serve refugees and Lebanese people in need, compared with $90m received against an appeal for $391m in 2016. As of January 2018, only 9%t of the year’s WASH sector appeal had been secured. Unless more funding is secured there will be substantial reductions in WASH services for refugee communities. Approximately one-third of Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in informal tented settlements (ITS) in the Bekaa region. Humanitarian WASH services to ITS are based largely on unsustainable solutions, particularly water trucking and latrine desludging, as it has not been possible for various reasons to put more sustainable solutions in place. The continuity of these services is therefore highly dependent on external funding. This study was commissioned by Oxfam in Lebanon to identify the likely implications of loss or lack of WASH service provision to people living in ITS due to reduced funding in the WASH sector, so as to establish and share knowledge about what can be expected as a consequence of reduced funding, and contribute to discussions about preventive and mitigating measures. This study addressed the following problem statement: substantial cuts in funding for WASH services for Syrian refugees living in ITS in the Bekaa are likely to produce a range of negative impacts in the areas of public health, livelihoods, protection and social stability. These negative impacts will affect not only Syrian refugees but also Lebanese communities. The impacts related to WASH will create an additional burden for other sectors of assistance that are also weakened by funding constraints and less able to respond effectively. The findings of the study substantially confirm this statement. The research was carried out in Lebanon from 22 January to 7 February 2018. METHODOLOGY The specific research questions addressed in this study were: • What coping mechanisms could be adopted by ITS refugee households and communities as a result of a lack of WASH services or of funding reduction for WASH services? • What public health and socio-economic impacts on ITS refugee households and communities can be expected as a result of a lack of WASH services or of funding reduction for WASH services? The study focused on ITS in three municipalities of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate: Bouday, Deir el Ahmar and Younine. The ITS in Bouday and Deir el Ahmar are served by Oxfam’s WASH and protection programme. At the time of the study, the ITS in Younine had not been served for at least six months due to absence of funding. These settlements provided a comparative situation to demonstrate the consequences of loss of service, including the coping strategies used by ITS households and communities. 4 A Clean and Decent Life Without WASH? The impacts and risks of reduced WASH funding for Syrian refugees in Bekaa, Lebanon A mix of qualitative research methods were used for this study: literature review; interviews with key informants in humanitarian agencies and local authorities; in-depth interviews and informal group discussions with Syrian refugees in the ITS; structured observation in the ITS environment. The fieldwork in the ITS was conducted by a primary researcher with a WASH and social science background, working with a translator from Oxfam’s team in Zahlé. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Syrian refugees in ITS live in a physical, social, political and economic environment that imposes severe constraints and limits their basic rights to protection, assistance and representation. Their living conditions are poor, their livelihoods are precarious and they are exposed to risks of abuse and exploitation, without access to legal redress. Conditions for refugees are worsening, with increasing poverty and cut-backs to other essential services. ITS households and communities place an extremely
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