(Zaman Al Wasl)- A Lebanese charity organization has deceived Syrian refugee women under the pretext of humanitarian work.
Oum Abdo, 26, who fled the western Qalamoun during to border Lebanese towns in Bekaa valley, was one of hundreds of Syrian refugee women field workers with charitable associations in Lebanon and were victims of fraud and profanity.
After she worked for nearly six months, she was surprised that she was victim to false promises as the organization did not pay her any of the wages written and agreed upon in the work contract.
Oum Abdo, who graduated the the Faculty of Science, has contacted Zaman al-Wasl after she gave up on trying to get her wages from the organization. She said that the Lebanese organization Zamazam for Charity is licensed in Lebanon whose director Jamal Saad al-Din al-Shamaa.
The organization is active in various areas of work such as orphans and special needs, distribution of meals, etc.
She added that the organization asked her through a middleman at Arsal to work with them as a field employee for $500 a month from Arsal camps to report on schools and the number of orphans in the camps and other studies.
Oum Abdo explained, "I was paying from my own pocket for the costs of moving between the camps and I paid the photographer who accompanied me to document those reports to send to the Zamzam Charity. I spent about $ 500 to complete these field reports."
Zaman al-Wasl contacted the business manager of the Zamzam Charity in Mount Lebanon province in the town of Barga, lawyer Ahmad Obaid, and reported to him the case of Oum Abdo and other female refugees (Reem, Nada and Oum Odai), asking him how the case will be solved and whether the organization is willing to pay for the female workers in the near future.
Lawyer Ahmed Obaid, a Syrian national, told Zaman al-Wasl that he was not involved in this case. His response was limited to a package of advice and preaching about journalistic work.
He literally responded to Zaman al-Wasl reporter on WhatsUp, "our only response is that since you are a journalist, at least you should honor us and come to the organization headquarters if you belong to a union of course and you talk on official basis and using real phone number not this one.
Adding that it is inappropriate to talk to us through WhatsUp. If you were a journalist like you claim, come to the organization and our doors are open.”
The organization owes Oum Abdo $3500 as well as Reem, Nada and Oum Odai and many others who raised their grievances to Zaman Al Wasl. (Reporting by Abdul Hafiz al-Holani)
Zaman A Wasl
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