ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
As we've reported here on NPR, Israel has ramped up its offensive against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel's military says its campaign is aimed at Hezbollah's fighters and infrastructure, but Israeli missile strikes have killed hundreds, including civilians. The heaviest fighting has taken place in Southern Lebanon, forcing many to flee to other parts of the country. Many have gone to the capital of Beirut, but some are traveling further north to the city of Tripoli, which has seen an influx of people fleeing the violence. Sarah Al-Charif is Lebanon director of Ruwwad Al-Tanmeya, an NGO that works with displaced people in Tripoli. Sarah, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
SARAH AL-CHARIF: Thank you for hosting me.
SCHMITZ: So, Sarah, Tripoli is Lebanon's second-largest city, about an hour's drive north of Beirut. This is a city that has already sort of sectarian divisions within it. It's also a very poor city. And now you have the added weight of refugees fleeing other parts of Lebanon to seek refuge there. What does it look like for them? What kinds of shelters are they finding? And what are the conditions that they're having to deal with in this new home for them?
AL-CHARIF: Now in Tripoli, we're having 30 shelters, hosting 16,000 displaced, internally displaced people. Six thousand are within collective shelters while 10,000 are living outside collective shelters within apartments. So the problem here is not only limited to Tripoli, but also to all the Lebanese cities and villages that are hosting displaced individuals is that it's not only about collective shelters, because, you know, many, many Tripolitans - they offered their apartments for free for displaced people. While others they rented their apartments with very affordable prices, also for displaced people. Collective shelters could represent one-third, I would say, of the total number of displaced people because two-third of those displaced are living in apartments and houses and not in collective shelters, which make this harder to really keep on track with all the statistics.
SCHMITZ: Right. You know, I'm also reminded here that taking care of refugees in many countries is often a job for the government. But Lebanon's government is obviously struggling. So what does that mean for NGOs like yours?
AL-CHARIF: So, for the last, I would say, a few years, we found ourselves as local NGOs - honestly, people - they look at us as if we are the government because of the collapse of the government. So we had to really come together and to work together closely together and to showcase solidarity and collaboration, to be able to serve our people, the Lebanese. And also the human - I mean, even the refugees, everyone living in Lebanon - we look at them as, you know, human beings and need to be supported. But, of course, this is really hard because the government is collapsing, and this has been the case for decades now.
SCHMITZ: So speaking about these people that you're dealing with on a day-to-day basis, and you're trying to help, what kinds of stories are you hearing from them? What are their primary needs?
AL-CHARIF: People - they left their houses without anything. So they just took their family members if they're still alive, and they flee without anything taken with them. So you need to provide them with all the basics from food security, food, water, diapers, baby milk formula. You name it. It's a long, long list. I mean, even if they went to shelters, let's say, the collective shelters. Who said that those shelters are adapted to serve as shelters? These are schools. So they are sheltered at public schools, and everybody knows the public schools, you know, at the end of the day, they need to serve as schools, not as shelters. I mean, classrooms cannot be bedrooms.
SCHMITZ: Sarah, you mentioned that these are schools that many people are forcing to - you know, are living in right now, essentially. What does that mean for the students that go to these schools?
AL-CHARIF: It's really a catastrophe, because we're going to live the same effect of Corona, where education has been put on hold. And it's an even more challenging context because we are in a war.
SCHMITZ: Sarah, is it safe in Tripoli?
AL-CHARIF: I think there's no safe zone in Lebanon. Because even if I tell you now it could be a safe zone, then maybe tonight it might not be a safe zone. So it's an hour by hour, minute by minute.
SCHMITZ: That's Sarah Al-Charif, Lebanon director of Ruwwad Al-Tanmeya, an NGO that works with displaced people in Tripoli. Sarah, thank you.
AL-CHARIF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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