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'How to' films help refugees eat more healthily

2017-01-25T11:00:00+00:00

Refugees, nutritionists and film-makers created a series of short ‘how to’ films to help Syrians living in tough conditions in Lebanon pull together quick, simple, affordable and healthy meals for their families.

It is winter – and families of Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon are cooking in their tents – huddled around small, fitful fires to escape the cold and rain outside. Sometimes up to three families share a single stove – white and blue gas canisters or wood-fed fires on raised, iron containers – which double up as heaters in the frosty nights.

In this harsh environment, preparing filling, affordable and healthy meals can be hard. Many people rely on food baskets provided by charitable organisations which – vital as they are – only contain non-perishable ingredients such as pasta, chickpeas, lentils, rice and cooking oil, omitting the more balanced elements of a healthy diet, such as fruit and vegetables.

Food for thought

Vegetables are cheap and readily available in Lebanon. To inspire refugees to cook healthier meals, we filmed four recipes that show how simple, tasty, nutritional and affordable dishes can be cooked-up using locally available ingredients.

Rice with mixed vegetables - Syria Lifeline

Most of the meals can be prepared in just a few pots, with limited utensils. They include a rice and vegetable dish that contains vital antioxidants and vitamins to help boost the immune system; and a lentil and mince-meat dish, which will provide a source of protein, folic acid, fibre and iron.

The short films are available to watch at UNHCR registration centres and Relief International community centres in Lebanon and available online.

BuzzFeed style

The films were purposely created ‘BuzzFeed’ style – filmed from above to a soundtrack of upbeat music. “Many people forget that we Syrians aren’t just refugees – we’re people too,” says Marianna Al Tabbaa, a Syrian researcher who worked on the project. “A really surprising finding from pre-film research – was that presentation really mattered. If you see something delicious, you’re more likely to cook and eat it. For many Syrians surviving under harsh conditions, a nice looking meal is really important.”

During feedback, refugees told us the films had inspired them to try new recipes, gave them nutritional information – and ideas for healthier substitutes. “I don’t use olive oil in my cooking. [Now I’ve watched the films], I might consider switching” said a female Syrian refugee, living in northern Beqaa. “It’s healthy. I had no idea this simple recipe is so healthy,” said another.

In a crisis – providing healthy food for your family is a priority. “People are fighting to feed their children” says Marianna. “They are being smart and creative with their cooking.”

That’s why our films are so important. Food aid is vital for Syrian refugees – but so is information on healthy ways to prepare it.

The films are produced as part of the Syrian Lifeline project, a collection of films designed to support Syrian refugees. We are not funded by the �鶹Լ��’s licence fee and depend on the generous support of donors. Help support our work.

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App designed to help Syrian refugees

2016-06-15T16:11:06+00:00

This external content is available at its source: https://youtu.be/dhiSwA7Hz7I

‘We’ve started a WhatsApp group for refugees living in this area’ a middle aged man said enthusiastically, explaining how the platform was helping the group share information and provide each other with much needed support.

The man, formerly a respected school teacher in Syria, was speaking to a group of people at a drop-in information centre (called Dawaween in Arabic). Forced to flee his home in Syria to Lebanon five years ago, he was determined to help his community build a future. ‘Syria is our homeland and we must be prepared to rebuild it on our return’ he remarked assuredly. His peers nodded in agreement.

Information is aid

With more than a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and the crisis entering its sixth year, accurate and useful information about services and resources has become vital for their day-to-day survival.

Run by Relief International, the Dawaween acts as a hub for refugees to access information about vital health, education and legal services. Free internet access allows refugees to stay connected to the outside world and a child-friendly play area is strewn with toys to keep the kids occupied. Visitors are able to watch a host of educational but entertaining �鶹Լ�� Media Action films providing practical tips on topics including food hygiene, shelter management and ways to avoid head lice.

A group of women watch a �鶹Լ�� Media Action film in a Dawaween information centre in Lebanon

A mobile app for refugees

Like the school teacher, many refugees use smartphones to keep in touch with loved ones and to seek support. With this in mind, we have developed a free, Arabic-language app to give refugees in Lebanon information on services and facilities including schools, universities, hospitals and community centres, all searchable by area. Moreover, the app features a “hotline” number and a “shout out” section wherein refugees can record comments or make enquiries which are then referred to relevant legal, medical and humanitarian organisations providing services and support for refugees.

Knowledge is power

In times of uncertainty timely, reliable information and channels for two-way communication are crucial in helping refugees to stay safe and survive. I hope that like WhatsApp, our new app will play an important role in this endeavour.

The app can be downloaded to Android mobile phones and tablets via the Google Play app store. Users should search for the “Dawaween” app and follow the download instructions.

Films for Syrian refugees: Do it Yourself, Do it Together

2015-06-18T10:43:41+00:00

An elderly man, one eye milky blue with age, peers into the camera. Immediately behind him lie neat rows of white tarpaulin shelters, walls flapping in the wind.

“Each person builds his own shelter,” he says matter-of-factly, “Once he’s done, he goes on to help his neighbour.”

Standing tall in the dusty courtyard, he explains why; “We’re all Syrians here, and we’re all one.”
Satisfied with the footage they’ve captured at the Beqaa refugee camp in Lebanon, housing over 400,000 Syrian refugees – the film crew wrap up.

The man they’ve just filmed is just one of the two million Syrians who have fled conflict in Syria since it began in 2011. His message of self-sufficiency and solidarity makes up part of a series of 25 documentaries, mini-dramas and animations providing practical tips for refugees.

The films – produced by �鶹Լ�� Media Action in collaboration with local and Syrian film-makers, artists and actors since 2013 – cover a range of topics including access to education, aid, legal advice and missing family tracing services.

Now that the crisis is entering its fifth year, there is concern that these services and facilities are dwindling.

Do it yourself, do it together

With this in mind, our most recent set of films is themed on the different ‘DIY’ ways refugees can help themselves (and each other) cope with life as a refugee. Born out of consultations with aid-agencies and refugees, simple ‘how to’ films and documentaries – like the one featuring the elderly man in the Beqaa camp – provide refugees with useful tips on topics ranging from building safe and stable shelters to purifying water, looking after new-born babies and treating common conditions such as scabies and lice.

Reaching refugees

The new set of films is ready, but how can refugees watch them?

Reaching refugees with information is challenging to say the least. Syrian refugees are highly dispersed in Jordan and Lebanon and in some areas, access to electricity, let alone a TV is a luxury.
Our solution is simple. Show the films in places where Syrian refugees need to go.

The films provide a useful and entertaining distraction for families waiting in long lines to renew paper work and access aid services at UNHCR refugee registration centers. Information centres run by Relief International in Lebanon – providing access to free wifi and phone charging facilities – also allow people to watch, and download the films to their mobile phones.

Film for refugees

In human disaster stories like Syria, much of the media we see is about refugees for international audiences. What’s unique about our work in Lebanon and Jordan is that we’re producing films for refugees, not just about them.

The films are playing a crucial role in making sure refugees know about their rights, the services they can access, the places they can go to for help – and most importantly, how they can help themselves.

Related links

Watch the films on Vimeo
More about �鶹Լ�� Media Action’s work in Lebanon and Jordan
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