‘My son could die’: the disabled Syrian refugees on the sharp end of UK aid cuts – photo essay Kate Holt
Two centres – in Zahlé and in Beirut – offer specialised services, such as speech and physiotherapy, for disabled Syrian refugees who can’t afford to pay for them.
This year, an average of 7,200 rehabilitation and psychosocial support sessions will no longer be delivered, affecting 1,500 disabled people directly and 9,000 people indirectly, including caregivers and wider communities.
Since 2011, when the war in Syria began, more than 1.5 million people have crossed in neighbouring Lebanon to avoid bombs and fighting. When basic food and shelter are in scant supply, the needs of people with disabilities get left behind.