Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
08BEIRUT796 | 2008-05-29 16:00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Beirut |
VZCZCXYZ0007 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHLB #0796/01 1501600 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 291600Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2097 |
UNCLAS BEIRUT 000796 |
1. Post recommends using the PRM's Ambassador's Fund for Refugees to fund a summer program for refugees and local children living in Lebanon sponsored by the Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center (Caritas). The estimated total cost of the summer program is $20,000 and would provide positive experience of diversity, emotional healing, and develop attitudes and skills that foster tolerance and reconciliation. Project Proposal -------------------------- 2. This summer program will take place near the mountains of Fariaya and will host 70 children between the ages of 6 and 14 including Palestinian, Iraqi, and Sudanese refugee children and some local Lebanese children as well. It will be implemented over three weeks in late July/early August 2008, with age-appropriate educational and recreational activities. The program will be designed to provide positive experiences of diversity, emotional healing, and develop attitudes and skills that foster tolerance and reconciliation. 3. Although Caritas has organized similar summer programs in the past, the Summer 2008 program will have a greater focus on Iraqi refugees and peace building. Rising food costs and general political uncertainty in Lebanon have created tension between the local Lebanese population and newly-arrived refugees, who are seen as a strain on an already fragile society. The inclusion of local Lebanese residents is integral to help with reconciliation between the refugees and their Lebanese neighbors. 4. The 70 children, who will take part in the summer camp, will be recruited through networks that serve these populations, including UNHCR and Caritas social workers. The targeted mix of children will be: 12 children between 6 and 8 years of age in 2 groups; 21 children between 8 and 10 years of age in 3 groups; 21 children between 10 and 12 years of age in 3 groups; and 16 children between 12 and 14 years of age in 2 groups. 5. There will be an emphasis to recruit children from economically disadvantaged families and who otherwise do not have access to summer recreational activities. While religion will not be a criterion for selection, the final selection will ensure that the group includes a mix of Shiite, Sunni, and Christian children. 6. Young adults will provide supervision to each group of children, including one supervisor monitor and one assistant monitor per group. These monitors have been trained to care for children during summer programs. In those trainings, the young adult monitors learned to develop activities, games and songs adapted to the appropriate age and development stages of the children to best assist them in acquiring the desired skills and attitudes. 7. The children will be assigned to different groups of mixed nationalities and will spend the full three weeks together. All of the groups will eat in the same dining room, but each camp group will eat at its own table. The three-week program will include activities by group and also events in which all of the children participate. 8. The program will include cultural activities that celebrate the richness of the different national groups attending the camp and benefit of bringing this diversity together. These cultural events will include demonstrations of the traditions and songs from each country. In addition, there will be six field trips away from the camp to permit the children to discover new regions of Lebanon. 9. The Caritas Migrants Center Coordinator and the group supervisors will monitor the summer camp during the three weeks. All team members who will be in direct contact with the children will sign a code of conduct, and be given clear instructions to be followed in their work. The group of supervisors will meet every night to discuss whether and how the children are developing a sense of community in the groups. Monitors will observe the interactions among all of the children, especially those of different nationalities. In the nightly meetings, they will also raise problems encountered and help one another to solve them with ideas about resolving conflicts and about activities that can aid group and individual development. The nightly meeting's highlights will be recorded and preserved as "best practices." 10. At the conclusion of the camp, the children will be asked to write a short letter about their experience. The compilation of these letters will be used to evaluate the impact of the camp on the children. The supervisor monitors will also write evaluations of the camp and their experience, with particular attention to whether or not the camp achieved its stated objectives. COST -------------------------- 11. Caritas estimates the total cost of the program at $20,000. Post, which has partnered with Caritas on other programs, has the authority and capacity to award a grant to the intended recipient agency prior to the end of the fiscal year. The following is the budget breakdown: Personnel 2,000 Accommodation 3,500 Utilities 1,500 Food 9,000 Activities Material 1,500 Traveling/Transportation 1,000 Insurance and Medical Care 1,500 TOTAL 20,000 Personnel include two cooks, a kitchen assistant, and four cleaning and maintenance personnel. It also includes stipends for a nurse and a camp assistant. The monitors are volunteers and the project management is provided by Caritas. Accommodation includes rental cost for the camp facility, including repairs made as an in-kind contribution in place of rent. Utilities include fuel oil for the generator and other utilities at the camp facility. Food includes food for the children participants and monitors and other camp staff for the 21 days. Activity Materials includes all materials required for the programmed activities. Traveling/Transportation cover the costs of field trips in the course of the summer camp. Insurance and medical care provides for medical insurance for the camp participants and basic first-aid materials. A qualified nurse will be at the camp to ensure proper care of any injuries or illnesses that might occur. Comment -------------------------- 12. Embassy Beirut chose this project because it meets important objectives not being currently met by UNHCR or other organizations, namely: repairing some of the psychological trauma that many refugee children have suffered since their displacement and helping ameliorate tension that exists between local citizens and refugee populations. We are confident that with Caritas, with which we have successfully partnered on many other projects, will work seriously to achieve the program objectives. End comment. SISON |