Back to Contents With reference to the means of basic subsistence, UNRWA reported that: “As Lebanon’s crisis deepens, so do Palestinian refugees’ poverty and frustrations. Poverty among Palestinian refugees is increasing, with an UNRWA survey finding that 86 percent were living below the poverty line in March 2022 compared to 73 percent in July 2021. This is a result of rising prices and an end to government subsidies, with a growing proportion of household expenses being directed towards increasingly expensive fuel and electricity. In March 2022, electricity and fuel accounted for 15 percent of household expenditure, compared to 6 percent in July 2021, while expenditure on food dropped from 45 percent to 39 percent over the same period, suggesting that households have reprioritized resources, cutting down on elements usually considered essential, such as food. With the rise in food prices, nearly 90 percent of those surveyed in March reported purchasing leftovers from the market, while two-thirds reported reducing the number of meals they had eaten in the seven days proceeding the survey.5 The price of a survival minimum expenditure food basket in Palestine refugee camps in March 2022 was a 400 percent increase on the October 2019 price.6 52 percent of households reported taking on debt in the three months prior to the survey in March 2022, compared to 47 per cent in July 2021. Some Palestinian households, particularly in Tyre and Central Lebanon Area, reportedly cut their generator subscriptions, leaving them reliant on one or two hours’ electricity a day from the national grid. Lack of electricity also left streets darker in camps, limiting safe movement after dark (reported as a particular issue for women and children), and made it more difficult for children to do homework. In the Beqaa, the particularly harsh winter, coupled with the usual annual jump in unemployment as agricultural work halted until spring, left families struggling to pay for the additional fuel needed for heating. In Beqaa and the North particularly, cold houses, a lack of heating and lack of adequate winter clothes were described as having a significant impact on people’s health, particularly amongst groups such as older persons.” (Source: UNRWA, “UNRWA Protection Monitoring Report – Quarter 1 (Q1) 2022”, 1 July 2022, p. 2) “Lebanon: sector-specific interventions : […] The Lebanon Field Office (LFO) food price monitoring survey – implemented at the end of the reporting period – showed an average 32 per cent increase in the cost of a standard food basket since the beginning of 2022. Some of the most affected areas are the Central Lebanon Area (40 per cent increase) and the Bekaa Valley (36 percent increase). […] (Source: UNRWA, “Syria, Lebanon and Jordan Emergency Appeal 2022”, 18 January 2022, p. 8) Additionally, as discussed by UNRWA in their 2022 Emergency Appeal report for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan: “For Palestine refugees, the crisis is experienced on every level. According to recent UNRWA data, 73 percent of Palestine refugee families are now living below the poverty line and are unable to cover their basic needs in 2021, with 58 percent of refugees reporting having to reduce meal sizes and frequency. Nearly half of all household expenditures is spent on food reflecting a critical food security situation. The situation for PRS is of particular concern. A socio-economic survey conducted by UNRWA in 2020 found that 87.3 percent of PRS live below the absolute poverty line and 11.3 percent exist in a state of abject poverty. Essential commodities are increasingly out of reach for most and PRS are being pushed into ever more negative coping mechanisms to survive, including missing meals, child marriage, child labour, debt and unsustainable borrowing practices. This is also exacerbating the isolation of people with disabilities as families struggle to provide for their additional needs. The stress of this 9. Access to labour market, means of basic subsistence 107