Actress meets Syrian refugees

American actress and UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Mia Farrow toured a number of villages in the area of Wadi Khaled with Lebanese UNICEF officials. She met Syrian families to inspect their conditions and needs. Farrow is hoping that she can "shed light on the problems of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to increase international aid and support them in light of the increasing numbers." She added: "Around 20,000 citizens have suddenly come into the poorest areas of Lebanon and they are scattered in different areas. It is thus very difficult for the UNICEF and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to address all the problems. In addition to this there are huge medical problems," adding that "many refugees were subjected to major shocks and difficult circumstances." Farrow, who works with the UN children’s agency UNICEF, told reporters that 75 percent of refugees were women and children. She called on the international community to do more to help them survive the winter. To date over 600,000 people have fled the violence in Syria for neighbouring countries including Lebanon which hosts about a third of them.