While it is possible to understand the viewpoint of the overburdened Lebanese government, it's heartbreaking to see this happen to people who have no alternative. Please remember these suffering people in prayer.
Lebanese Government forces Syrian refugees to demolish brick homes and live in plastic tents
Inside the only house still standing in Al Nour's "B" street, a Syrian grandmother rubs tears from her eyes. We came here eight years ago," says Zouhair Amar, one of about 300 people who live in this refugee camp on a treeless, rocky hillside.
As we speak, an aid worker comes to her door to remind Zouhair that her home will be demolished the following day.
"We first stayed in tents, then they moved us here to a house, and now they want to destroy them, as you can see."
"This is what God has decided," she says, crying quietly.
Here on the outskirts of Aarsal in north-east Lebanon, authorities are enforcing a rule that bans the construction of "permanent" dwellings in refugee camps.
Hundreds of homes built of concrete blocks must be torn down and the families who've lived in them for years must move into temporary accommodation, which are plastic shelters braced by flimsy wooden frames.
Life here is tough all year round. It's freezing in winter and summer temperatures can rise above 45 degrees (Celcius, 113 Fahrenheit) It's no place to live in a tent.
"It is safer in a house during the rains," Zouhair says.
"It's safer for the children and much safer for us elderly people as we cannot live in the rain and the snow."
Lebanon is enforcing the rule because it doesn't want these refugee camps to turn into permanent settlements.
This nation of 6 million people is straining under the weight of more than 1 million Syrian refugees.
"The real reason behind all this is to forbid settlement," says Bassel Hojeiry, the head of the Arsal municipality. He's the local government representative with the thankless task of keeping the area's 70,000 refugees informed about gov
"A city set on a hill canNOT be hidden." And why would you want it to be? Check out a special interview with Pastor Harka from Nepal on the Mon/Tue Podcast! WWW.CompassionRadio.com...
Today on CompassionRadio.com? Pt 2 of a great interview with a young man named David Chavez and how to "Break the Language Barrier"...
Today and tomorrow on CompassionRadio.com, we'll find what a young man raised missionally can do! And it's not what you might expect.
Starting something new today... A quick update on our daily podcast. Catch the latest program right when it's convenient to you! @ CompassionRadio.com
