Providing support to victims of torture, displacement and conflict-related violence, including gender-based violence, while promoting tolerance and countering sectarianism.
The Victim Support and Reconciliation (VSR) program worked with United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to distribute hygiene, school and layette kits in ten target areas in order to provide IDPs and Syrian refugees with some basic supplies.
VSR enhances community-based rehabilitation for victims and supporting work at the community level to foster dialogue and recognition across religious and ethnic lines.
Mothers of newborn babies responded that “Receiving the layette kits at this moment deeply affected us, and we are touched by such support. This was a gift at a time when we felt ignored.” The women were from different communities, and they shared some of their motherhood experiences during the distribution process.
The school kits had a great impact on the students who received them, as most of their parents did not have money to buy school supplies. Teachers contributed their time to help with the distribution process. One of the teachers, an IDP herself, explained that “we participated in the process of distribution because we wanted to show that we are all hand-in-hand together. We might not have any kits of our own to distribute, but with the help of NGOs we will contribute as much as we can to show our support for each other as IDPs and as a host community.” The school kits were distributed in schools that serve a mixture of IDP and host community students.
