The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) announced the launch of a campaign aiming to provide free cold surgery to Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon aged below 18.

PCRF said it will contribute 2000 USD as part of surgery fees and will seek partners to shell out other required sums.

Applications are taken in from February to October 2020. A patient receives a reply over his/her demand two weeks after the application is submitted.

Thousands of Palestinian refugees have sought shelter in Lebanon, where they have been subjected to a precarious legal status and dire socio-economic conditions owing to their lack of access to vital services, particularly health care.

The United Nation has identified Palestinian refugees in Lebanon as one of the most marginalized and poorest communities in the region. They continue to face high vulnerability and marginalization, making them heavily reliant on humanitarian support to cover their basic needs. The socio-economic hardships and unrest experienced by the country have compounded the refugees’ already dire living conditions.

The refugees’ vulnerability is further compounded by their precarious legal status. The lack of a valid legal status, often coupled with outdated civil registration documents, results in severely restricted freedom of movement for some Palestinian refugees in Lebanon due to fear of arrest, detention or forced deportation.