EMERGENCY ALERT
The welcomed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah follows two months of intensified hostilities that have killed approximately 3,800 people, including over 240 children. The ceasefire needs to be sustained indefinitely to end children's suffering.
There is an urgent need now for humanitarian aid. Many children will be returning to villages that have been decimated by bombs. Save the Children is supporting families with cash, clean water and food and mental health support, but we need your help. Donate to the Children's Emergency Fund to send life-saving support to those who need it most.
A sustained ceasefire is needed to indefinitely to end children's suffering
- The recent hostilities in Lebanon have uprooted at least 1.2 million people from their homes, including more than 400,000 children.
- Children in Lebanon were already grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis and more than half of the population was dependent on humanitarian aid.
- We need lasting peace across the region, including a ceasefire in Gaza.
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. Today, we are working with local partners and government authorities to plan how we can scale up this support further and meet the most urgent needs of families.
Since October 2023, we've supported 166,000 people in Lebanon, including more than 67,000 children with:
Safe shelters with recreational activities to help children process traumatic experiences
Cash to buy essentials like food, warm clothing and medicines
Food and hygiene kits, as well as access to clean water
Save the Children and our partners are also supporting families and children who have fled Lebanon to Syria as well, distributing blankets, food, water and other essential items. Donate to the Children's Emergency Fund to send life-saving support to those who need it most.
Half of Lebanon’s public schools have been turned into shelters for forcibly displaced people, disrupting children’s education for what will now be the sixth consecutive year and increasing the threat to their long-term physical and mental wellbeing.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Education said that Israeli airstrikes have forced about 40% of Lebanon's 1.5 million pupils from their homes and postponed the start of the school year for public schools from October 14 to November 4.
At least 500 public schools—about half of Lebanon’s public schools—are now being used as collective shelters,* following escalating violence on September 23 that led to the displacement of over 1.2 million people, or about one-fifth of the population.
Challenges for Children in Lebanon
Before this latest escalation, children in Lebanon were already grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis and more than half of the population was dependent on humanitarian assistance for basic needs.
Over 400,000 children in Lebanon have been forcibly displaced and don’t have a home to go back to anymore
Over 1,400 children have been injured and need to recover
The school year has been disrupted for the sixth consecutive year, with more than 1.5 million children in Lebanon out of education
Many families in Lebanon still lack the basic necessities such as food, access to drinking water and medical care
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).
Since October 8, 2023, we’ve supported more than 166,000 people in Lebanon, including more than 67,000 children.
We are already supporting families across the country with cash, food and mental health, protection and learning support. Fourteen months of hostilities have taken a huge toll on children’s mental health as children have been exposed to hugely traumatic events that have left deep emotional scars. Children will need specialist emotional and psycho-social support to mitigate the distressing experiences they’ve faced.
We’re now working with local partners and government authorities to plan how we can scale up this support further and meet the most urgent needs and promote the well-being of children and families as they start to rebuild their lives.
How to Help Children in Lebanon
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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.