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Saϊd Foundation donation will help Syrian refugees in Lebanon

UNHCR has signed an agreement with the Saϊd and Asfari Foundations to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The Foundations will donate over £485,000 to support refugees who are being hosted by local communities in northern Lebanon.

The donation will ensure that the refugee population has adequate shelter, especially as winter approaches; that health, hygiene and psychosocial needs are met; that all the refugee children receive education; and that there are also benefits for the host community.

From the moment the displaced Syrians started arriving in Lebanon in early March, UNHCR teamed up with the Lebanese government to provide much-needed basic assistance and to ensure that the new arrivals were protected. Most refugees arrived with their families but without their belongings and urgently needed housing and medical care.

Several months into the crisis, over 2,600 Syrians remain in northern Lebanon and continue to be in need. Help for the local communities is also crucial, as their coping mechanisms are dwindling under the pressure. The Foundations' support is essential if the UNHCR is to ensure that it can continue to help.

Annual Student Gathering and Prize Giving 2011

The Foundation's annual student gathering and prize giving ceremony took place from 6th to 8th May 2011 at Hunton Park in Hertfordshire. The gathering provides an opportunity for each year's UK-based students to get to know each other and to have a short break from their studies.

The annual dinner and alumni prize giving ceremony was held on Saturday 7th May at the Wallace Collection in London. Chairman Mr Wafic Said presented the Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Fawaz Gerges. More information on Professor Gerges can be found here.

The Annual Alumni Prize is awarded to a former scholar who has made an outstanding contribution to his/her field and to development in the Middle East. This year the Foundation awarded the Alumni Prize to both Ahmad Kasir and Amer Shomali. More information on these two scholars can be found here.