Concern's ongoing response in Lebanon

The basic needs of Lebanese people displaced by the ongoing conflict is at the core of Concern's efforts to provide support in the country.

With the winter months upon us and more than 1.4 million forced to leave their homes under the threat of attacks, the need for emergency accommodation and basic items is growing by the day.

“We are very concerned that many of the people who fled their homes are increasingly vulnerable to hunger and that poor living conditions could see a rise in serious illnesses," says Chris Connelly, Concern's Programme Director in Lebanon.

We have partnered with the local charity Nusaned in a bid to prepare people for winter in Lebanon, with many people forced to flee their homes with little or nothing and at a moment's notice.

Many of the people we are supporting are Syrians, who fled their country during the Syrian Civil War. 

With the cost of rent increasing in Lebanon in recent months, due to the escalation in the conflict, the majority of requests for shelter have come from the Syrian population in Lebanon. Many people are unable to afford housing, and have been refused spaces in schools and other collective shelters due to issues with legal documentation.

We are also supporting people, many of them Lebanese nationals, with requests for cash, medicine, hygiene products, blankets, mattresses and other essential items. 

In Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, donations to Concern have been helping to fund hot meals for thousands of people living in temporary shelters in the city.

More than 26,000 hot meals have been distributed as a direct result of the generosity of people in Ireland and the UK. 

“Thanks to the incredible support we have in Ireland and the UK we have partnered with Nusaned to provide life changing assistance to families who fled their homes with little or nothing," says Connelly.

Concern and Nusaned are also providing 800 families in Beirut with “hygiene kits” containing items like soap, water purification tablets, nappies and sanitary towels.

The needs among the hundreds of thousands of people that have fled to North Lebanon also go beyond the material, with children particularly traumatised by recent events and requiring the psychosocial support that Concern provides.

“The displaced populations here in Lebanon face significant challenges in meeting their basic needs with the winter months also fast approaching,” adds Connelly.

“There are also a lot of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon who have been displaced again with some needing to move to new temporary accommodation and others going back into Syria.

“This humanitarian crisis has resulted in schools closing and hundreds of thousands of children have had their lives upended as they fled their neighbourhoods.

“One boy staying at an emergency shelter told us: ‘I miss my bedroom. My dream is to go back home and sleep in my bed.’

“We will continue to do everything we can to support the most vulnerable as this conflict continues."

Even before the escalation of the current conflict at the end of September, Lebanon was going through a profound economic crisis.

Home to 5.2 million people in an area roughly half the size of Munster, Concern has been working in Lebanon since 2013 and the mass arrival of people leaving neighbouring Syria.

The recent emergency is only making matters worse for people in Lebanon, with a vast number of Syrian refugees already living in informal settlements in the north of the country before things took a turn for the worse.

Please donate to our Lebanon appeal today, and help to provide people with essential items and services as Christmas approaches.