Towards breaking point

ENAR

“Late March a Syrian mother of eight stood at my door, asking for help, but I had nothing left to give,” said Elian Nasrallah, a priest in charge of coordinating aid efforts in Qaa – a Christian village in Lebanon’s northern Bekaa Valley. Qaa has become host to some 10,000 mainly Sunni refugees from Syria, many of whom cross the border with nothing but their clothes on. Yet, in order to get aid they must register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with the nearest offices located 90 kilometers away in Zahle. Without this, Nasrallah and others are struggling to support their guests. “I asked her to come back after a few days, as I went looking for a sponsor,” he said. “She returned after a week with seven children. It was still very cold in that time – as they had to sleep out in the