OUMMAL – VACCINATING STATELESS MAKTOUM IN LEBANON Oummal plays the role of mediator between people eligible for health coverage, the hospitals and public guarantors, in order to identify and overcome challenges faced by those not covered by health insurance schemes. Access is ensured either through enrolment with Oummal’s Ministry of Public Health complementary health programme, or through complaints received via a data and call centre. Scoping Award (EUR 5,000) The Project aimed to guarantee access to vaccination and medical insurance to stateless people in Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic. This required working in close partnership with Lebanese healthcare authorities to include stateless people in the vaccination platform (IMPACT), and to assist them with registration challenges due to lack of identity documents, receiving appointments for vaccines, following-up with healthcare staff post vaccination and arranging booster shots. Significantly, Oummal had to advocate for the right of stateless people to be vaccinated and ensure that the registration platform does not discriminate against stateless people or refugees with missing papers. Impact • The project assisted 1,202 stateless individuals with their identity documentation, registration under the vaccination platform (IMPACT), and access to vaccinations via Oummal’s mobile clinic and the Rahhal Hospital. • The team successfully advocated for national health cards which would allow stateless people to access healthcare services with their expenses covered by the Ministry of Public Health. This represents a significant outcome as stateless people are not covered by private or public health insurance under the Lebanese system. • Two visits were arranged for the Minister of Health to hospitals in the northern part of the country where the highest number of stateless people live who had not received any vaccinations against COVID-19. The Minister announced that the Ministry would accept hospital admissions connected to COVID-19 and simplify the vaccination procedures for stateless people. COVID-19 infections ultimately decreased in vulnerable areas, particularly thanks to Oummal’s Future Plans Oummal aims to work on increasing vaccines in the Northern and Akkar regions. Further, the Minister of Public Health will visit Akkar to ensure that stateless people can access hospitals with their fees covered by the Lebanese Government. With sustained funding, Oummal’s Maktoum Aid Project will be expanded to provide legal and psychological support, implement capacity building and seek employment opportunities for stateless people. “ Your approach is very welcomed in our community, but we hope to see continuous activities and an impact that we desire since on many occasions we were promised of outcomes that never happened. We trust you especially that some of you are stateless and know exactly what it is we go through.” Ahmad Sleiman Al Abdallah, Mayor of Al Knaise, Lebanon SALAM FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS – SPOTLIGHTING STATELESSNESS IN KUWAIT SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights (SALAM DHR) promotes universal principles of dignity, respect, democracy and human rights in the Middle East. They conduct monitoring and analysis, produces reports and policy recommendations, organises advocacy campaigns, conducts trainings and builds coalitions. Scoping Award (EUR 5,000) The COVID-19 impact on the Bidoon population living in Kuwait was explored in the context of systematic discrimination and marginalisation with respect to access to healthcare, social services and economic support towards the Bidoon community. The project aimed to empower community members and leaders to advocate for themselves and to provide a bridge between national and international advocacy. It sought to determine how COVID-19 policies set out by the Government of Kuwait affected the health 22