Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union (LPHU) Relief and Emergency Program Lebanon, 2006

1. Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union(LPHU) Relief and Emergency Program Lebanon, 2006

2. LPHU is a national NGO cares for the inclusion of people with disability in all spheres of their society during all circumstances of peace and war. LPHU recognizes the consequences of the recent war of July 2006 on Lebanon. Especially, that this war has still been effecting lives of thousands of people with disabilities at the medical, social, infrastructural, and economic levels. . • It was very obvious for LPHU how the government lacked all means of capacity to handle its responsibilities towards war affected people. The inactive law 220 that insure the rights of people with disability preventing these people acquiring their minimum needs during the war as well as the post war period. According to its social responsibility, LPHU proactively initiated its relief and emergency program in order to face these newly occurring circumstances

3. Program Objectives • Help the surviving of families of people with disabilities during the displacement as well as the returning period; • Maintain all opportunities that enable disabled people and their families to access distinguished medical, social, and economic/livelihoods needs; • Lobby for the integration of the disability component in all national and local recovery and development policies and programs; • Enhance all independent living opportunities that would ensure the inclusion of the accessibility criteria in reconstruction operations;

4. Geographical Coverage • LPHU Relief and Emergency Program covered all effected areas by the war including South of Lebanon, Beqaa Valley, and Beirut Southern Suburb.

5. Beneficiaries • the Program was initiated for targeting war affected communities. The number targeted by the program exceeded 3500 beneficiaries in the covered areas mentioned above. These beneficiaries included people with disabilities, people who became permanently or temporarily disabled, children, women and youth with disabilities, and elderly people. The criteria pursued for selecting these beneficiaries were based on: • the poverty status that shows severe livelihood/economic problems; • the targeted person’s chronic medical status; • the essential needs resulted from a newly occurring disability.

6. Needs Identified • According to the needs assessment that LPHU conducted through its emergency program for beneficiaries in the targeted areas, the following distinguished minimum cases were identified: • Medical and rehabilitation 1870; • home adaptation 253 • Psychosocial intervention 606, • livelihood support 534.

7. Services operated • Wheel chair for adults 280; - Crutches 250; - Walker 175; - Rolators 33; - White canes 25; - Water and air mattress 139; - Cushion gel/foam 35; - Commode chair 20; - Toilet wheel chair 15; - Toilet raiser 20; - Bed pan 10; - Colostomy 1356; - Foley 1000; - Urine bags 3445; - Artificial limb 85; - Medical rehabilitation 46; - Medications 20; - Livelihood 83; Home Adaptation 55; - fuel heat 60; - referrals to surgeries and psychosocial intervention 300.

8. Strategies and Methodology: • To ensure the success of the program according to the determined purpose, LPHU pursued the following strategies and methodology:

9. Setting-up an appropriate coordination structure (disability focal point centers) and mechanism that would ensure the success and the fluent execution of the program; • Dedicating all LPHU’s staff, volunteers, procurements, and relationships to ensure an efficient program execution; • Arranging field visits for following-up and monitoring handed out services to ensure the adequate use for delivered materials, medical services and livelihood supports;

10. Collecting data and conducting needs assessment operations for possible beneficiaries meeting the applicable criteria identified during the war and post war periods; • Communicating with local medical and rehabilitation centers in order to ensure and follow-up on the attained services for identified beneficiaries, in context of surgeries artificial limbs, physiotherapy, and supporting aids; • Identifying reliable local and international resources in order to cover the over estimated needs of distinguished beneficiaries, especially concerning supporting aids and livelihoods;

11. Contracting an architect to conducting the needs assessment concerning home adaptation for a group of assessed beneficiaries; and Launching campaigns and establishing networks targeting stakeholders in both public and private sectors in order to promote the issue of disability mainstreaming in national and local recovery and development policies/programs and reconstruction operations;

12. Oxfam GB’s Support • As in peace also in war Oxfam GB was of a significant support for LPHU running its relief and emergency program. This support has been performed through different aspects and on different levels.

13. During the relief period Oxfam donated around $92000 to supporting LPHU relief program. It also provided LPHU with the technical support in the context of disaster management. In addition to this support and as part of its water and sanitary program, Oxfam GB contributed in kind 1000 hygiene kit boxes to be delivered to LPHU’s relief program beneficiaries. Oxfam provided LPHU with a fund of $119000 to be spent on supplying identified beneficiaries with almost 650 items of different supporting equipments/aids. This fund also aimed at supporting LPHU’s advocacy initiative towards disability mainstreaming in public health programs especially during crisis and disaster periods. LPHU produced a thematic toolkit in this context based on best practices, focus group discussions and workshops, and data collected

14. As a part of this fund as well, LPHU were also able to adapt toilets of almost 29 identified cases of houses of people with disabilities and public places (Municipalities; parks, and schools). This support made Oxfam GB as one of the principal supporters and partners of LPHU’s national campaign on mainstreaming the accessibility criteria in reconstruction operations that are run in Lebanon in the meantime. LPHU participated in Oxfam initiative that aimed at conducting vulnerability assessment in Lebanon. Three researchers from LPHU were assigned for this purpose to executing a field visit to one of the identified poverty pockets (Bait Sulaibi in Baalbek).

15. Program Impact and Lessons learned • LPHU relief and emergency program was of a significant impact on its beneficiaries and the society at large. The beneficiaries were able to overcome major and critical challenges and hindrances, mainly in the frame of acquiring medical and livelihoods needs. Many disabled people could attain the minimum of independence capacity benefiting from the home adaptation services that was operated

16. The concept of inclusion had a positive impact on policy development at both the national and local levels. This impact is referred to the networking efforts as well as the national campaign that LPHU conducted targeting stakeholders including decision-making bodies, politicians, and civil society NGOs. However, the amount of needs of people with disabilities shown above is still bigger than all efforts done at all scales. A lot of work must be supported in order to maintain the efforts for promoting the inclusion of disability in relevant national and local policies. Yes, efforts are yet to be consolidated where the society should become for all in settled as well as unsettled situations . People with disability should be also given the chance to become real partners and not left behind as a burden and service recipients only.