EU Senior Delegation along with UNICEF Visit ITS in Baalbeck

On Saturday June 20th, 2015, The Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training (LOST) along with UNICEF, Bekaa hosted two senior delegates from the EU and all together visited Hosh Al Rafka IS in northern Bekaa.

Ms Marisa Matias, Member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Chair of the Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Mashreq Countries - Con-federal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left and Ms. Elisa Reschini, Political adviser from GUE/NGL paid an ITS in Baalbeck a visit to discuss the present conditions of the 200-refugee IS. They met the watchman, meandered across the location, and made a few meetings with random families to get some information about the refugees’ way of living and the level of suffering.

Showing a great sense of empathy and highlighting the humanitarian side of the visit, EU delegation played some entertaining games with children and listened attentively and compassionately to an old lady whose two of her children died in Syria where they demonstrated a high philanthropic level of support.

While the last piece of the visit was an exchange of experience with a few women of diverse circumstances (pregnant, sick, and a lady having a debilitated infant), they got some information about their sufferings and what they go through on a daily basis. Things can’t change overnight, Miss Matias asserted, but the whole team promised to do their best in order to voice the concerns of the refugees to the designated people so they can minimize the ordeal the refugees are passing through and make things a bit easier.

LOST seized the opportunity to explain to the EU delegation the objectives behind such a timely and efficient intervention at these ITS in partnership with UNICEF. LOST also expounded the approaches of social cohesion adopted at these location by engaging the Lebanese at the grass root level in the process of promoting for a more understanding climate towards the Syrian crisis.