Data from: Perceived impact of community kitchens on the food security of Syrian refugees and kitchen workers in Lebanon: Qualitative evidence in a displacement context

Community kitchens (CKs) have been recommended as public health strategies
with social and nutritional health benefits for low-income participants
and their families in different settings. The benefit of CKs in improving
the food security status of participants in the context of conflict and
displacement is less conclusive. This study aimed to qualitatively explore
the impact of CKs on the food security status of community kitchen workers
(CWs) and Syrian refugee (SR) families in Lebanon. An exploratory
qualitative descriptive approach was adopted. Focus group discussions were
conducted with 15 CWs and 49 SRs, and transcripts were analyzed
thematically. Emerging themes included: motivation to join the CKs (CWs
only), perception towards CKs, impact of these CKs, and their
sustainability (both groups). Motivating factors for CWs included
financial, internal and societal drivers, and the favorable type of work
in kitchens. The perception towards CKs was overall positive among CWs and
SR beneficiaries. Both groups reported the positive impact of CKs on their
food security and financial status, which in turn affected positively
their psychological health. At the social level, CWs indicated that the
kitchen’s friendly atmosphere increased social cohesion and companionship
between Syrians and Lebanese within the kitchen. In addition, CWs reported
increased sense of empathy towards SRs benefiting from the CK services.
According to study participants, the positive impact of the CKs was almost
completely reversed when their operation and services were interrupted for
two months. Both CWs and SRs identified facilitators and barriers that can
affect the sustainability of the kitchens, including financial and
entrepreneurial skills. In conclusion, findings from this study highlight
that CKs can be promising programs to improve the food security and
livelihoods of participants, while also increasing social cohesion and
integration of refugees within host communities in protracted crisis
contexts.