US State Department Funds One Year Project to Assist Refugees and Members of the Host Communities with Disabilities in Lebanon

New York, NY, October 18, 2017 --(PR.com)-- The World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF) and the United States Department of State are pleased to announce a Cooperative Agreement to assist refugees with disabilities and their peers in the host communities of Lebanon. The agreement between the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and WRF will allow for a one-year Project focused on addressing the needs of persons with disabilities by filling the gaps that exist in the provision of basic rehabilitation services. The Project, implemented in partnership with native Lebanese entities, will provide assistance to a total of 1,778 direct beneficiaries and approximately 850 indirect beneficiaries through three main objectives:

1- To provide prosthetic and orthotic devices, prescription eyeglasses, and hearing aids; and related services.
2- To build the capacities of Lebanese civil society organizations to expand their services, and support WRF in providing Community Based Rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities.
3- To increase understanding of the protection rights and needs of persons with disabilities among stakeholders and the general public through awareness and advocacy initiatives.

Refugees with disabilities face unique protection risks and posses unique capacities, which are not always identified through traditional outreach measures. Through the generous support of the United States Government, the specific needs of persons with disabilities will get the targeted attention they deserve. “The U.S. government is pleased to support this program, whose goal is to enable Syrian refugees and Lebanese alike to fully participate in their communities,” said Mark Storella, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Persons with disabilities are often hidden from sight by their families and are unable to accept or receive the aid being distributed to the general population. Richard Drucker, Chairman of WRF, noted, “We are honored to be partnering with the US State Department to deliver services and materials to refugees with disabilities. This greatly needed project will have life-changing impact for thousands of people in Lebanon.”

The Project is being implemented between September 1, 2017 and August 31, 2018.