For Palestinian Refugees, Every Action Counts

This year we mark World Refugee Day amidst dramatic social change. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the strength of human beings across the globe and highlighted innovation and positive action at the community level.

Today we want to celebrate the resilience of Palestinian refugees focusing in particular on the actions of our partners, a group of Refugee volunteers, The Palestinian Civil Defence (PCD). 

Since early March, in response to COVID-19 the PCD volunteer teams have been carrying out a disinfection and sanitisation campaign across Lebanon’s refugee camps. By early May, they had disinfected over 5,000 locations across all twelve camps, an effort involving 200 of the PCD’s permanent volunteer corps and 250 new recruits. Alongside the disinfection and sanitation campaign, the PCD have also distributed cleaning and disinfectant products to the camps’ most vulnerable households, ensuring that basic products are available to those in need.  

Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing crisis, the PCD have shown solidarity with their Lebanese host communities and have caught national media attention, presenting tangible refutations of divisive rhetoric about refugees as a threat. Outside the camps, the PCD have carried out sanitation and disinfection in neighbourhoods in Tripoli, Beirut, Sidon, and Tyre, demonstrating solidarity with Lebanese host communities. 

Beyond these immediate public health efforts, the PCD has a history of positive action. In 2019, responding to fires sweeping across Lebanon the PCD team mobilised to fight fires, risking their own lives to help save the lives and homes of both Palestinian and Lebanese communities in Beirut.

Continuing in the spirit of positive action the PCD have this year mobilised to respond to the garbage crisis, clearing rubbish from Palestinian camps and working on recycling solutions to help residents manage in the immediate future.  

Always responding to need the PCD now look ahead, this month launching a mobile application. The app, available now on android devices has been created to allow residents of Palestinian Refugee camps in Lebanon to report emergencies. Emergency response is limited for residents in the refugee camps making an app like this a vital solution for the refugee community.

A source of pride for many Palestinian refugees, the PCD has encouraged a sense of responsibility and collective solidarity among the camps’ youth. Many young women and men have rushed to volunteer with the PCD across the twelve camps, even in ones where it does not have a formal presence. Indeed, at a time when Palestinian youth are highly uncertain about their future, the PCD has turned this crisis into an opportunity for civic engagement, engaging youth in a positive alternative to negative coping actions that they might otherwise be partaking in during these extremely difficult times for the refugee community.

The PCD are a voluntary group and rely on donations for their continued operation. If you would like to support them you can donate to their fundraising campaign here: https://bit.ly/fundPCD.