What I lived through in the Civil War with my children, I live it again now with my grandchildren.
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He is traumatized now and when he hears a loud noise, he gets terrified.
Vera no longer works and relies on support from her eldest son, who struggles with a family of his own to look after.
Recognised as extremely vulnerable, Vera received cash assistance from our partner Association Najdeh which she used to buy food and medicines for herself, her children and grandchildren.
On 4 August 2020, the sudden explosion that tore through the Port of Beirut, sent shock waves through densely populated areas. Over 200 people lost their lives, and more than 6,500 people were injured.
Homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals were destroyed with an estimated 300,000 people left homeless.
To date, justice and accountability for what happened is yet to be achieved, with little or no compensation for the loss of loved ones, livelihoods and for people affected by physical and psychological injuries.
An unprecedented crisis
The World Bank has described the situation in Lebanon as one of the worst depressions of modern history. Today, food items cost 5 times more than they did in 2019. People simply can no longer afford to meet their basic needs.
Over half of the Lebanese population are now living in poverty, with the most vulnerable-refugees, migrant workers, children and elderly bearing the brunt.
According to a recent UNICEF assessment, 77% per cent of households does not have enough food or enough money to buy food, with this reaching 99% amongst Syrian refugee households.
The situation is similarly dire for Palestine refugees in Lebanon. In Nahr al Bared camp, where around 30,000 displaced Palestinians live, we have been supporting our partner Association Najdeh’s community centre. The levels of stress, anxiety, violence and child labour are increasing, simply because people are hungry.
The people of Lebanon are facing not only a political and economic crisis, but face huge challenges including access to education, fuel, electricity, plus the impact of COVID-19.
Christian Aid’s response
In the year following the blast, Christian Aid partners Basmeh and Zeitooneh, Association Najdeh and Mouvement Social have worked tirelessly to provide 3324 of the most vulnerable households with support including cash, food, hygiene kits.
Families receiving cash assistance are able to buy food, medical supplies and repair damage caused to their homes in the blast.
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Our partners are also delivering COVID-19 prevention awareness sessions to try to supress rates of transmission.
In January 2021, storms caused floods and damage to Syrian refugee informal settlements in West and Central Bekka. Many families had to leave their tents and seek shelter in a nearby mosque or neighbouring tents and houses. In response, our partner Basmeh and Zeitooneh supported families who lost their shelters and were living in extremely vulnerable conditions with cash, tent repairs, heaters and fuel.
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We also work with our partners to continue to support people in Lebanon with long term projects. In Nahr al bared camp, we provide non-formal education and psychosocial support to children and their caregivers.
We also provide support to enable young boys detained in Roumieh prison in Beirut to access legal assistance, psychosocial support, skills training and community reintegration.
Please continue to support our work by donating to our Lebanon Crisis Appeal.Please donate now to help families affected by the deepening crisis in Lebanon who urgently need your support.