World
Vision is concerned that the killing of two Lebanese Red Cross workers at the Naher el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp Monday afternoon sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the already fragile
lifeline to thousands of civilians still trapped there.
'Since the fighting started one month ago, World Vision has called on all parties to distinguish between combatants and civilians and
to ensure neutral and impartial access to aid distribution,' said advocacy manager Patricio Cuevas-Parra. 'This incident is a clear violation of internationally accepted principles that protect
humanitarian workers who deliver aid in a crisis. All parties must ensure safe humanitarian access for aid workers.'
The United Nations estimates that 3,000-5,000 people remain inside Naher
el-Bared camp, located near Tripoli in North Lebanon.
"Whether this was an accident or a deliberate attack, this incident may threaten the well-being of those civilians who are unable
to leave Naher el-Bared," said Cuevas-Parra.
More than 29,000 Palestinian refugees have fled their homes in Naher el-Bared. Approximately 25,000 have crammed into the nearby Beddawi
Palestinian refugee camp where they have taken refuge in crowded schools and squeezed into tiny apartments with friends and relatives.
Over the past four weeks, World Vision has delivered
nearly 4,500 baby hygiene kits containing diapers/nappies, baby crème and wipes, water sterilisation tablets and other critical items to protect the health of the youngest and most vulnerable
displaced Palestinian refugees in the Beddawi, Bourj el-Barajneh, Shatila and el-Buss Palestinian refugee camps, as well as in the Bekaa Valley.
World Vision has also distributed 150 baby
cribs/cots and sets of baby clothes to women with infants or who are pregnant and expect to deliver soon in the Beddawi camp. Sixty more cribs will be distributed Thursday to the Bourj el-Barajneh and
Shatila camps, where smaller numbers of displaced refugees have moved. World Vision has also provided 20 water mattresses to children with disabilities.
Together with other local and
international partners, World Vision is supporting the creation of child friendly spaces by providing five tents and recreation kits to partners who are organising the activities. World Vision will
also supply a kit containing a cap, toys and crayons and a colouring book to 2,000 children between three and 13 years of age. Older children will receive a cap.
World Vision is also
contributing to the child protection network by hiring an IT specialist to design a database and enter data collected by the network to track cases of vulnerable children and link these cases to a
referral system.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
