Lebanon, a small country on the Mediterranean coast, is home to around six million people – over half of which are in need of humanitarian assistance. Many people in Lebanon – including increasing numbers of refugees and asylum seekers – are simply unable to meet their basic needs and rely on humanitarian aid for survival. Our programmes aim to provide refugees with support both inside Lebanon and along the border in their time of need.
With millions of people across Lebanon in need of humanitarian and/or financial assistance, many families are struggling to survive. Vast numbers of asylum seekers and refugees have sought protection in Lebanon including almost one million Syrians and approximately 470,000 Palestinians. What’s more, with 1.5 million Lebanese people in need of financial assistance, resources are unable to meet all the required needs.
For people across Lebanon, life is incredibly challenging:
In response to the ongoing Syrian crisis, we have funded vital psychosocial for the predominantly Syrian children living in camps and are working in partnership with local community-based organisations to best support those in need.
We are also offering vital aid to Syrian refugees, offering food, educational and medical care both inside Lebanon and along the Syrian border. We are continuing to work in remote rural areas along the southern border, where conditions have not improved as quickly as in other parts of the country.
We first began working in Lebanon in response to a humanitarian crisis caused by war in July 2006. As part of the emergency response effort, Islamic Relief distributed food, clean water, hygiene kits, sleeping mats and hot meals to thousands of displaced people across Lebanon. Islamic Relief was the first international aid agency to reach the people of Qana in southern Lebanon when only two other international relief agencies were active in the area at the time.
After the initial emergency phase, Islamic Relief began focusing on reconstruction efforts, such as hospital rehabilitation and water facility repairs, and Islamic Relief Lebanon opened to continue long-term efforts.