Reaching into the community

Despite ongoing challenges around the world due to conflict and withdrawal of international funding, the projects that REI funds continue to be strong and the communities show resilience in the face of humanitarian pressures. 

In the last year, REI funds have provided support to:

• Three addiction treatment cycles in camps on the Thai-Myanmar border, providing services to 79 clients
• Addiction prevention education activities for 1,664 adults, youth and children in Mae La refugee camp
• Home visit program that covered 576 households and reached 3,161 individuals across all age groups in Mae La Refugee Camp.
• Provision of 965 Baby Kits with essential hygiene items benefitting 965 mothers with new-born babies in 7 Districts in Kawthoolei (Karen state) Myanmar
• 91 maternal health awareness raising sessions that reached a total of 9,160 participants in communities in Kawthoolei.
• 110 children aged 4 to 6 in a kindergarten in Wadi Zayne, Lebanon, providing education as well as pyscho-social support.
• 54 young adult refugees studying democracy, human rights, rule of law, non-violent activism for peace, environmental conservation, gender perspective, and language skills.  
• 32 refugees in an advanced course studying community organization and mobilization, community project management, international law, social science and report writing and presentation.
• 40 urban refugee youth and women who started a program that covers business skills training, financial literacy and language training, along with raising awareness of opportunities for skills development and livelihood enhancement. 

In line with the REI mission, the projects are run by the refugee community as they know what is really needed. The refugee staff bring trust and personal experience to the activities ensuring they are culturally appropriate and impactful in the long term.