Mixed fortunes in Lebanon's refugee economy

The Financial Times

Business has never been better at Abu Hazem’s tiny grocery shop, thanks to crowds of Syrian refugees who come to use their new, UN-funded debit cards. But around the corner, Suleiman al-Sharafi’s store is empty, and the future looks less bright.

“I make less now than I did before the World Food Programme made contracts with Abu Hazem. All the Syrians go there,” he says, slumped down in a chair behind the counter. “Only Lebanese come to my shop now, and they’re all poor.”

The source: The Financial Times FULL STORY