Recent MSc Health and International Development graduate Rasi Mizori reflects on his team’s journey during their student consultancy project with UNRWA. Initially, the project aimed to analyse the effect of Lebanon’s economic crisis on access to non-communicable disease (NCD) healthcare services among Palestinian refugees, however, the team had to quickly adapt to navigate unforeseeable challenges.
The Initial Aim
As part of the consultancy project module within the International Development course, there were a range of potential clients that we, as students, could rank in order of preference. However, it didn’t take me long to rank UNRWA as my number 1 choice. My background as a medical student, coupled with my strong interest in healthcare in the Middle East, made this an obvious decision. The project aimed to perform a quantitative analysis of how Lebanon’s economic crisis intensified by the 2019 Port of Beirut explosion, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the country’s broader economic collapse – has affected access to Non-communicable diseases (NCD) healthcare services for Palestinian refugees. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon rely heavily on UNRWA for healthcare, as they are often excluded from accessing the national health services provided by the Lebanese government. UNRWA runs its own healthcare infrastructure, including clinics and hospitals, specifically for refugees. This system operates in parallel to Lebanon’s health system, addressing the unique needs of the large Palestinian refugee population that exists.
Before I knew it, we received the results of our client applications in early October. I was delighted to have been matched with the UNRWA project. It was time for my three colleagues and I to get the ball rolling.
Change of Plans
Shortly after we received our consultancy project assignment, the escalation of violence and conflict on October 7 shortly followed. We quickly recognised that global conflicts, extending beyond borders, would significantly affect our communication with UNRWA. It became unimaginably challenging to organise meetings, including our first one (meaning we had yet to meet the client), leaving us at a standstill for several weeks.
Understanding the severity of the situation, we gently reached out for updates whenever possible, working independently to optimise the chances of the project being feasible and ultimately completed. While our team attempted to adapt to the evolving situation, it was UNRWA’s resilience and commitment that kept the project moving forward.
We managed to hold two or three meetings over the following two months, and while further delays emerged in accessing data from central managers, they worked tirelessly to support our progress and to ensure objectives were met. Nevertheless, as we approached Christmas, it became clear to us that the final deadline of March 15, 2024, was fast approaching, and we had to make changes to the nature of the project to ensure it finished on time.
The team and I met with our supervisors, Professors Tiziana Leone and Dr Tine Hanrieder, and together we agreed to steer the project in a new direction. We proposed a revised set of aims, focusing on qualitative analysis from interviews with healthcare professionals at UNRWA, bypassing the delayed data acquisition process. Before we knew it, UNRWA accepted our proposal. Their dedication to providing healthcare to Palestinian refugees, despite the conflict, was truly remarkable. Their team worked with us to ensure that we would have access to the necessary data, and suddenly, we felt that we were back on track.
Our Experience
The new project’s aim was to shift to qualitative data analysis due to our inability to access stored quantitative data. This allowed us to conduct semi-structured interviews with 15 healthcare professionals at UNRWA over two weeks. Between January and March, we completed the interviews, performed the qualitative analysis, and wrote up our report. Despite a tight deadline, the team submitted the report on time. The findings highlighted how social determinants, such as refugee status and economic hardship, negatively affect health outcomes, while the burden of rising mental health issues and NCDs was significant. The report also detailed the challenges faced by health workers, including increasing patient loads, medication shortages, and staff deficits, as well as the strategies UNRWA employed to manage these difficulties.
This experience taught us the true meaning of teamwork, flexibility, and commitment. The understanding and adaptability everyone showed while juggling the challenges of this project alongside our full-time academic responsibilities demonstrated the mindset needed for success. Most importantly, UNRWA’s unwavering dedication made the project possible. Despite the ongoing political emergency, UNRWA’s commitment to Palestinian refugees’ health in Lebanon ensured that the project continued.
However, the word that resonated with us the most was “heartbreak”. Working on this project amidst intense political unrest and violence was deeply heart breaking, forcing us to confront harsh realities far beyond academic challenges. The tragic killing of innocent children and civilians, regardless of age, gender, or background, is unjustifiable and must be stopped. As I conclude this blog post, I speak for myself and my colleagues and many students at LSE in praying for peace—not just in this conflict, but in every part of the world where violence persists. Let us strive for a world where we embrace our shared humanity and work towards peace and love.
The views expressed in this post are those of the author and in no way reflect those of the International Development LSE blog or the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Featured image credit: Sign of the area office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Tyre/Sour, Southern Lebanon. RomanDeckert via WikiCommons.
