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EU aid reaches 23,000 Palestine Refugees from Syria striving to survive in Lebanon

UNRWA

28 Aug 2025

Samer carefully manages his family's limited electricity supply. The 39-year-old Palestine Refugee from Syria, who fled his home in 2014 during the civil war, is doing his best to keep his family afloat in Lebanon. With only four hours of government electricity a day, the family relies on a two-ampere private subscription, just enough to power lights, an old television, a refrigerator, two fans and a washing machine. If they exceed their share, the breaker trips, plunging them into darkness.

"Without this back-up power, we'd be without light for more than 20 hours a day," says Samer. "Thanks to the cash assistance I receive from UNRWA, I can rent this small space and keep the lights on through the generator."

Thanks to European Union (EU) Humanitarian Aid, UNRWA was able to deliver two cycles of cash assistance in 2025, reaching around 23,000 Palestine Refugees from Syria - or 8,500 households, including Samer's.

Samer works at a local bakery earning the equivalent of about US$ 50 per month. For Palestine Refugees coming from Syria now living in Lebanon, access to employment is extremely difficult. Even Palestine Refugees from Lebanon are barred from 39 professions. For those from Syria, the situation is even tougher.

Access to legal residency for Palestine Refugees from Syria has become increasingly challenging since May 2024, when the Government of Lebanon introduced new measures affecting the renewal of residency permits. This has created additional obstacles to moving freely outside Palestine Refugee camps where UNRWA provides basic services.

Samer is a father to two boys aged 15 and 11, both attending UNRWA schools. The family would struggle to survive without receiving free UNRWA education services along with the EU humanitarian cash support.

Palestine Refugees from Syria living in Lebanon are among the most vulnerable communities in the country, with poverty levels at around 70-80 per cent according to UNRWA's latest surveys. A total of 80 per cent of them fled their homes in Yarmouk, a refugee camp near the Syrian capital Damascus which was heavily destroyed during the civil war that broke out in 2011. The EU cash assistance provided through UNRWA enables families to address urgent needs.

"This money brings us some comfort," Samer says quietly. "It gives us a roof and a little food. Without it, we would be on the street."

While some families have started thinking about returning to Syria, most, including Samer's, feel they lack the needed support to rebuild their lives there. They wait for an improvement in security, living conditions and employment in Syria before they can consider returning. Until then, Samer remains in Lebanon, relying on UNRWA and the EU to keep the roof over his family's head and the lights on at home.

UNRWA continues to advocate for the rights of Palestine Refugees from Syria and coordinates with relevant authorities in both Lebanon and Syria to ensure that any return home is voluntary, safe, and dignified.