United Nations, Jan 18 (IANS): The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Lebanon said that has allocated $6 million for supporting the most vulnerable people affected by the ongoing crisis in the country.

The funds were allocated through the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) to 14 non-governmental organisation projects aimed at providing child protection, gender-based violence, and education assistance in the country, as part of the Lebanon Emergency Response Plan (ERP), Xinhua news agency quoted the OCHA as saying.

Syrian and Palestinian refugees and migrants are among the targeted populations, the statement said.

"In this allocation, the support will be for children out of education or at risk of dropout, children with disabilities and child survivors of gender-based violence, as well as survivors of gender-based violence and individuals at high risk of exploitation and abuse including those people with disabilities and special needs," said Najat Rochdi, UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon and custodian of the LHF.

It is worth noting that the ERP only received $36.2 million out of its total request of $383 million for 2021, leaving considerable lifesaving activities unmet.

Lebanon is grappling with an economic and financial meltdown, Covid-19 pandemic, and the disastrous human impact of the 2020 Beirut Port explosions, as well as the impact of the Syrian crisis.