Abu Mohammed stands waiting for his turn to get 5 kilograms of flour, knowing that this amount won’t be enough to support his family of three and won’t spare him from looking for another way to cover their daily needs. Still, he holds on to the available aid, leaning on the saying, “A little helps,” implying that even if a little isn’t enough, it can ease the burden somewhat.
Abu Mohammed doesn’t hide his frustration with the limited aid. The flour he gets just once doesn’t keep up with his family’s ongoing needs, while expenses for food, medicine, and other necessities continue. That’s why he is calling for the cash assistance that was provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), amounting to $50, because it gives families more ability to manage their priorities.
Abu Muhammad’s experience sums up the situation of Palestinian families in Lebanon who receive aid amid increasing living pressures, but they feel what they get doesn’t match their needs. Five kilograms of flour might ease some of the expenses a little, but it doesn’t provide a steady food supply and doesn’t change the reality for families struggling to meet their basic needs.But the program’s duration doesn’t mean that families get flour continuously throughout the month, and this is where one of the complaints from beneficiaries comes in: people need food every day, while the flour ration is limited and doesn’t repeat during the program period. For families living on irregular income or depending on aid, just receiving the set amount isn’t enough to cover the food gap they face.
