Lebanon: Teenagers look after younger children in the refugee camps

Many hundreds of adolescents living in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon have become involved in developing micro-projects for the protection and wellbeing of other children in the camps. Terre des hommes has been supporting these youngsters in three camps and three settlements in the Tyre region. And in the past year, the delegation has extended its activities to 12 other refugee settlements.

The aim of the programme is to make sure the children have all the protection they need against the risks rife in these camps. Tdh works in collaboration with the communities, the government and the Palestinian civil society for and with the children and youngsters. Activities such as case management or improving skills add to the involvement of the young people so that they can, themselves, through micro-projects, defend their rights and their wellbeing.

By 2013, 30 new “micro-projects” will be set up by the 13 to 17 year-olds. In groups of 15, and helped by a Tdh person, the adolescents will start by analysing the risks run by children in their communities. They will work out a suitable response to lessen some of these risks, and will then write up a project suggestion to be submitted to the communities, local authorities and Tdh for approval.

Amongst these micro-projects, the youngsters have, for example, chosen to make a documentary film on the damaging effects of drug abuse, to install reflectors along the roads to get vehicles to drive slower, and put up lights in the darkest areas of the camps. The young people have also organised courses for English, built a fence along the river bank to stop the little ones falling in, and set up recreational activities for the children.