DRC LIVELIHOOD ASSESSMENT – BEKAA

Since the unrest in Syria began in March 2011, the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon has hosted varying numbers of displaced Syrian families. Local actors such as municipalities and NGOs registered families for assistance received through regional and international donors. In March 2012, UNHCR and partners established operations in the Bekaa in order to support local actors with the increasing number of displaced families. By 11 May 2012, there were approximately 9,000 displaced Syrians registered with local actors throughout the Bekaa region. Following DRC Lebanon’s livelihood assessment of displaced Syrians in the Northern Governorate, the newly established DRC programme in the Bekaa sought to offer a preliminary assessment of Syrians’ livelihood situations in the Bekaa region. The areas assessed included Aarsal, Baalbeck, Central Bekaa, West Bekaa, as well as parts of El Sahel (Fekha and Ein). DRC collected quantitative data from 247 displaced households throughout those areas, which constituted approximately 19% of the total reported registered population in April. In addition to the survey, DRC conducted 7 focus group discussions with host community men as well as displaced Syrian men and women (disaggregated by gender and geographic area of displacement), and used data from other DRC assessments as sources for this report.