Furn El Chebbak, Jaloul Bldg., 1st floor
Beirut
Lebanon
- Democracy and community development
- Environment/Sustainable development
- Gender
- Human rights
- Youth and education
The Popular Aid for Relief and Development is a non profit, grass-root; rights based NGO that aims to promote gender equality and the right of marginalized and vulnerable groups, especially in the Palestinian gatherings, to access social, health and environmental services. PARD does so by providing access to healthcare and environmental health services and by empowering women and youth to practice their rights and participate effectively within their communities. PARD also provides support and relief to people affected by disasters.
Strategy One: Public Health of the Community
Areas of focus (Entities): Mother & Child health care services, environmental health, health education, community participation, awareness, family planning, preventive and curative services and advice, peer education, access to clean water supply, monitoring water sources, disposal of solid waste, vector control, infrastructure development, environmental health hazards control, health consultations, advocacy, policies, biostatistics, nutrition, etc.
OBJECTIVES OF STRATEGY ONE:
Enhance the life quality, reduce disease and promote better health conditions and practices among Palestinian refugees
Increase the life expectancy, reduce infant and child morality and decrease communicable diseases within the Palestinian refugee camps and gatherings
Improve the informed choices of the Palestinian communities and individuals towards health issues
Provide health care services to the refugees with a focus on mothers and children
Reduce the environmental health hazards in the Palestinian refugee camps and gatherings
Strategy Two: Environmental Health Services, Awareness and Trainings
The interventions of the Environmental Health Program are:
Water Supply: includes the following activities:
Maintenance of water network, wells and reservoirs
Water Network installations
Water control and testing
Training local water caretakers
Raising awareness on water issues
Pumping out wastewater, cleaning manholes, maintenance of waste water network
Solid waste management: this project includes the following activities:
Regular solid waste collection at the household level. About 13990 m3 (4941 tons) of domestic wastes were collected from Shatila camp in Beirut and 3055 m3 (1079 tons) from eight south gatherings near Tyre.
Cleaning of public zones
Composting
Strategy Three: Emergency Relief
The volatile situation in Syria has led to an increase in the number of Palestine refugees fleeing to Lebanon, now approximately 57,000 individuals (7 June 2013). In Lebanon, Palestine refugees from Syria are dispersed in Saida (30 per cent), northern Lebanon (15 per cent), Beqa’a (23 per cent), central Lebanon Area (17 per cent) and Tyre (15 per cent). Especially since Yarmouk camp, Syria’s biggest Palestinian refugee camp, became battle ground for the two groups in December 2012, there has been a large increase in Palestinians fleeing Syria. So far, Palestine refugees, and the PLO, have taken a neutral political stance and are not partaking in the fighting.
PARD decided to get involved in the relief operation for those refugee families in July 2012. At the beginning, PARD took the following actions:
The team of PARD conducted a new rapid needs assessment to define the basic needs of those families.
The team of PARD visited all the refugees in the targeted areas (Beirut & the South) for new statistics regularly.
The team of PARD contacted certain donors to obtain support for implementing relief projects for the welfare of the targeted refugees.
The beneficiaries stated their problems and numerated their needs which were recorded in the needs assessment report. The priority needs requested by the people included:
- Primary health care (through clinics and first aid services)
- Food items support
- Non food items support
- WASH activities and Health Education (on health subjects related to personal and general hygiene, scabies, head lice, water pollution, food preservation, measles, breastfeeding, and nutrition)
- Shelter rehabilitation and building
In Beirut, PARD targeted 70 children (aged 4 to 6 years) through establishing a kindergarten for them.
This kindergarten is divided into 3 grades (KG1 for 4 years, KG2 for 5 years, KG3 for 6 years).
A team of 3 teachers, 3 teacher assistants, 1 coordinator,
1 psychosocial assistant, and a cleaning lady operate this KG.
The KG started in October 2012 till June 2013.
In July- August 2013, the same children joined
summer activities organized by PARD. The same
project restarted in September 2013 and will continue
until June 2014.
In addition to the activities in the KG, 65 children aged
from 7 till 12 years attended education support and
extra curriculum activities 5 days per week in the afternoons.
PARD has the capacity to implement community projects within the vulnerable Lebanese and Palestinian communities in Beirut and South Lebanon. We do have a track record of implementing large scale projects in collaboration with UN agencies, international NGOs, governmental and non governmental bodies.
PARD do consider the network as a platform for more cooporation and partnership between various community minded entities. Such opportunity needs to be utilised constructively.