Syria Regional Refugee Response - Lebanon 2016

Education For Syrian Refugees 2

Public Library / Cultural Center 

Al-Awda Refugee Camp
Barr Elias, Beqaa, Lebanon

Design & implementation:    Khaled Alwarea

NGO:       Education Program in Lebanon ( EPL ),
                 A program of Multi Aid Programs (MAPs)

Donors:   World Wood Day Foundation
                 Rotary Club Taiwan

Timescale: 1 Month

Area: 70 m2

4  Unskilled Workers 
Camp Population: 2000 Refugees

Al-Rahma School, one of the schools run by EPL, is located in
Al-Awda settlement/ camp for Syrian refugees. The school serves
240 school aged children, who need more than the normal school
curriculum to be well-educated. Young Syrian refugees, in general, are unemployed and have free long time that can be seized for their own benefit.
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The Library/Cultural Center has been built within Al-Rahma School where it will increase the access to education and cultural activities by bringing the self-learning center to more than 1000 young Syrian refugees’ doors by creating a suitable educational and cultural atmosphere within Al- Awda Camp, which is considered one of the biggest refugee settlements in Lebanon. This settlement includes 300 residential caravans/tents with a total number of population of 2000 Syrian refugees.
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With a limited budget and resources and a difficult working environment, I was able to introduce the workers to the basic building techniques, and worked with them step by step to complete the work and to make sure that every one of them would be able to construct a similar wooden structure on their own.
This focus on supporting and motivating refugee workers was a groundbreaking approach where the hopes are high that they would be able to rebuild their homes when they go back to Syria.