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Children in Lebanon have felt the crushing anxiety of a looming war for months

  • Children are among an estimated 270 people killed, and more than 1,000 injured in recent strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon.
  • Families are desperately trying to flee with whatever they can carry, children crying, terrified by the sound of drones and fighter jets.
  • Any further escalation of hostilities will mean an unacceptable loss of human life.

Save the Children's Humanitarian Response in Lebanon

Save the Children has been working in Lebanon since 1953, helping children survive, learn and stay safe. We are responding to ongoing needs, particularly for those who have been displaced by the escalation of violence in southern Lebanon. 

Since October 2023, we’ve supported 60,000 people including 25,000 children with:

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Safe shelters with recreational activities to help children process traumatic experiences

An icon of a stethoscope.

Cash to buy essentials like food, warm clothing and medicines

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Food and hygiene kits, as well as access to clean water. 

Challenges for Children in Lebanon

The collapsing Lebanese economy has left families struggling to afford the basic food, electricity and water needed to survive. 

More than two million children, both Lebanese and refugees are in need of aid

80% of Lebanese households and 99% of Syrian refugee households do not have enough money to buy food

12% of Lebanese children, 47% of Syrian children, 19% of Palestinian children and 43% of migrant children were out of school in the 2020-21 school year

12% of families report having at least one child engaged in child labor

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Our Work for Children in Lebanon

The world’s leading charity for children, Save the Children has been on the ground in Lebanon responding to children’s needs, every day and in times of crisis, since 1953.

We work to ensure Lebanon’s children can realize their rights, raise their voices and access the services they need to meet their basic needs – including education, protection, shelter, food security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Basic assistance (Social protection), livelihood opportunities and Child Rights Governance (CRG).

We have dramatically scaled up our work in response to the Syrian refugee crisis as well as to the needs of Lebanese, Palestinian refugees and migrants in Lebanon. Together with partners, including community groups, government ministries and the international community, we’re working and advocating to give children in refugee and host communities alike the chance to grow up healthy, educated and safe.

Today, education is a central part of Save the Children’s work in Lebanon. Our goal is to increase access to quality, inclusive and safe education for the most vulnerable girls and boys. This includes early childhood care and development, basic literacy and numeracy and remedial support. We also prioritize child protection, especially for the most vulnerable. We promote gender equality throughout all of our programs.

Here are some recent examples of our work:

A healthy start in life

  • We’re implementing water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives throughout Lebanon, including rehabilitating schools, factories and old buildings
  • In response to an alarming rate of fire outbreaks in vulnerable communities, we led the development of national prevention, preparedness and response guidelines, including a training platform and distribution of supplies
  • We constructed reservoirs and implemented other water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives

The opportunity to learn

  • We’re reaching tens of thousands of children through non-formal education across Lebanon, with a focus on engaging parents and the community in children’s education and protection
  • We’re strengthening access to quality early learning by providing basic literacy and numeracy education, as well as homework and social emotional support, with significant results
  • We’re rehabilitating schools and providing essential supplies
  • We help Lebanon’s youth build their skills, find jobs and become more financially secure

Protection from harm

  • We’re working to protect Lebanon’s children from psychological stress, neglect, violence, abuse and harmful coping tactics, such as child labor and child marriage, with significant results
  • We prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable children, including adolescent girls, children with disabilities, children separated from family, and those engaged in child labor
  • We’re helping families upgrade substandard shelters to deal with extreme weather conditions

How to Help Children in Lebanon

There are so many ways you can help create change that lasts a lifetime for children in Lebanon. 

Donate
Support Save the Children’s mission. Donate to help children in Lebanon and around the world grow up healthy, educated and safe.

Join Team Tomorrow
Join Team Tomorrow and your monthly donation will go toward addressing the needs of children affected by today’s most urgent issues. 

Browse the Gift Guide
Give a meaningful gift that will help transform children’s lives and futures in Lebanon and beyond. There’s something for everyone!

Sources: Facts and statistics have been sourced from Save the Children’s monitoring and evaluation experts, as well as our thought leadership publications, including our Save Our Education 2020, Global Childhood Report 2020,  Stop the War on Children 2020 and A Catalog of Common Approaches 2020. Other sources include CIA World Factbook and UNHCR.

Photos: Louis Leeson, Nour Wahid / Save the Children.