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Lebanon

A woman greets her husband with her child after evacuation from Lebanon, July 2006 [REUTERS/CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, courtesy www.alertnet.org]

Poverty, ill health and illiteracy are all on the rise for Palestinians in Lebanon – 60 per cent of them live below the official UN poverty line.

There are more than 370,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon – many facing exclusion from getting skilled jobs or using the health service.

Unemployment and low-wage jobs are the only options for those denied work permits, and unemployment in refugee camps is estimated at 40 per cent.

CAFOD spent £99,000 in Lebanon in 2008

Disabilities such as cerebral palsy are common in refugee communities, and lack of income compounds the problem, leaving many dependent on welfare from the UN Relief Works Agency.

The Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation helps children with learning difficulties to integrate with other children [Paulinus Barnes]

Palestinian Territories

Since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip by Israel following the 1967 Six-day War, Palestinians have seen their standard of living fall; today, almost three quarters of the population live below the UN poverty line.