In Lebanon, Sudanese refugees too receive food assistance
A family having to flee conflict and ending up in Lebanon is not unheard of. What is uncommon though is discovering that the conflict was not the one next door in Syria.
Thirteen years ago, Ibrahim and his wife had a difficult choice to make; stay in Sudan and risk death amid violent clashes or flee.
After a brutal journey and a multitude of administrative hurdles, the couple arrived in Lebanon. Now they live in a compact but comfy three-room apartment overlooking Beirut and have two children Morsi and Nadia.
“My kids know they’re not Lebanese, but they’re not really Sudanese either.”
In Lebanon, the World Food Programme (WFP) primarily provides food assistance for vulnerable Lebanese and Syrians in the form of cash. But since May 2019, WFP is providing refugees of other nationalities with cash-loaded e-cards to buy food with have also been available for in the country.
Ibrahim explained his total relief when he was told he would be given an e-card to buy food.
“We were used to not eating so much, now we don’t have those worries. Someone remembered us when thought the world had forgotten us,” he says.
Having spent more than a decade in Lebanon, Ibrahim describes the family’s diet as “half-half” — a blend of Sudanese and Lebanese cuisines. Meat features more frequently on the fusion menu now that there is money on an e-card to buy food.
“My kids know they’re not Lebanese, but they’re not really Sudanese either. One day, we’ll live in Sudan and then they’ll feel Sudanese.”
Thanks to contributions from the United States of America, WFP is able to provide vital food assistance to the most vulnerable refugee families in Lebanon.
