Under the project, gas heaters, gas bottle refill coupons and tarpaulins will be distributed to refugees displaced by the 2007 conflict who’ve found shelter in pre-fabricated homes, damaged buildings and rented garages.

The winterisation project is supported by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO).Priority will be given to female-headed households, special hardship cases, families with ten or more members and those living in garages that offer little protection from the harsh winter conditions.

“This project identifies and assists those most at risk of exposure to cold, dampness and water leakage and who can not prepare their homes for the winter conditions alone,” said Project Coordinator Ahmad Azzam.

Faoudiyeh.  (Photo: NRC-Lebanon)

Seventy-year-old Faoudiyeh suffers from rheumatism which is especially painful when the temperatures drop in winter.

“My home was like ice-cold, wet and no place to live. It was like living in a refrigerator,” she said.

Faoudiyeh received a heater and three gas bottle refill coupons and said that, “The warmth of the heater relieves the pain, and warms the house for me and my daughters”.

Mother of five, Roula explained that a tarpaulin used to seal the windows of her rented home meant her young children no longer had to endure the icy conditions and now had a sanctuary to study and play.

The three-month, 200, 000 EURO project will provide 300 families with gas heaters and gas bottle refill coupons and will help to water proof more than 750 homes. NRC, in partnership with ECHO, is also continuing structural stabilisation works, emergency repairs and the waterproofing of roofs in an on-going commitment to the long-term needs of the Nahr el-Bared community.