Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched a new winter project for Syrian refugees in Arsal, Lebanon, with a total budget of $569,687 (QR2,071,660).
This project is an attempt to improve the living conditions of Syrian refugees in Arsal by providing a good shelter insulating method to keep the refugees warm, according to a statement.
Syrians living in camps face severe weather conditions during the winter when the temperature reaches below zero in Arsal. Their tents do not serve as a warm shelter because of a fuel shortfall and unavailability of heating appliances.
Some 50,799 Syrians have sought refuge in informal tented settlements or substandard buildings in the town of Arsal.
QRCS’s strategy in Lebanon focuses on areas with the highest refugee density, places where many international NGOs do not venture, projects for the long term – given that the Syrian crisis continues to drag on, as well as projects that have a sustainable and preventative effect.
The expected outcomes of these projects are warm conditions during the winter and lower temperatures during the summer inside the tents, better living conditions for Syrian refugees in Arsal camps, preventing insects and other pests from entering the tents, less fuel consumption and consequently less probability of camp fires, the statement notes.
Providing better warming conditions for 102 camps, or some 5,400 tents, which include around 28,000 refugees in Arsal, the project involves insulating the shelters of Syrian refugees using special materials for the tent.
Insulation material will trap heat during the winter, leading to a more comfortable temperature inside the tent, as well as providing cool conditions during the summer, which will help improve living conditions in the camps.
Cross-linked polyethylene, aluminium foiled foam insulation sheets will be used, which are lightweight, easy-to-handle and fire-retardant. “The foil-faced wrap insulation makes an excellent thermal barrier as well as a barrier for moisture, termites and other pests. They work in both hot and cold climate, giving a superior insulating value. The 45-day project will help save $999,273 worth of heating fuel,” the statement adds.