By Arwa Al-Wugayyan
KUWAIT, Feb 20 (KUNA) -- The recent Kuwaiti donation of USD eight million to help 25,000 Syrian refugee families in Lebanon cemented Kuwait's commitment to addressing such humanitarian crisis in the last four years, a UN official said Monday.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) takes on the task of providing basic necessities, medical and financial aid, in addition to cash, for the refugees, especially Syrians, the most beneficiaries under the Agency's umbrella, said Head of the UNHCR office in Kuwait Dr. Hanan Hamdan in an interview with KUNA.
As for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Hamdan said the latter needed some USD 450 million; a "disappointing" eight percent of which has been covered.
Esteeming Kuwait's helpful stance since the beginning of the crisis, Hamdan underlined that more than a million Syrian refugee in Lebanon are burdening the country's already fragile economy.
Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon host the vast majority of the 4.8 million refugees created by the conflict.
The one million registered refugees in Lebanon represent a quarter of the country's population.
The cost of providing medical care alone for the refugees in Lebanon amounts to USD three million per month, she noted, pointing out that the Agency made visits to arbitrary refugee camps in Bekaa, Lebanon to witness difficult conditions lived by people their due to the harsh winter.
One camp, Saadnayel, houses 42 families of 198 individuals.
The camp was erected two years ago, with most of its inhabitants from Aleppo, Idlib and Homs, she said. (end) akw.hb