ONE YEAR AFTER THE WAR, CHILDREN ARE CARRYING INVISIBLE WOUNDS
One year after the Israeli military escalation of conflict in Lebanon, more than 82,000 people are still displaced, including more than 28,000 children.
Damage to homes, schools, water infrastructures, and workplaces has left them unable to return.
Children are carrying invisible wounds and we see growing signs of trauma in their daily lives. Some have become withdrawn and isolated, others show aggression and nightmares, while many struggle with deep hopelessness and unprocessed feelings.
Despite a conditional ceasefire in November last year, over 2,700 violations by Israeli forces were reported in just six months, putting civilians including children at risk. A full return to stability remains elusive. The temporary and conditional agreement must allow for a transition to a permanent ceasefire to end this suffering for children.
Children and their families continue to face immense challenges and loss, and the humanitarian situation remains dire. We are delivering lifesaving assistance and helping families begin the long process of recovery. But we need your help to ensure every last child is getting the support they need.
Help provide critical support to children in Lebanon and around the world by donating to our Children’s Emergency Fund.
Save the Children staff run recreational activities for children at a collective shelter for displaced families in eastern Lebanon. Baraa Shkeir/Save the Children
Our response.
Save the Children has been working in Lebanon since 1953, helping children survive, learn and keep safe. Since October 2023, Save the Children has been responding to the ongoing emergency by delivering much needed aid and services to collective shelters in the south and east.
Since October 2023, we’ve reached 311,069 people including more than 131,107 children with lifesaving assistance. We are helping families begin the long process of recovery.
We stand ready to scale up our response to ensure children have the right support to rebuild their lives. But we need your help to do this. So far, we have provided children and their families with:
- Child protection services, this includes setting up safe spaces for children and referring them to additional support, when needed.
- Learning materials, recreational activities, and setting up learning spaces in shelters to help children continue their education.
- Shelter and essential items, including providing mattresses, blankets, pillows, heaters, and solar lights to families in shelters across almost 300 locations.
- Water, sanitation and hygiene kits in shelters.
- Livelihood support, including providing food parcels and cash for shelter so they can pay bills, repair their homes or buy essentials.
After this ceasefire agreement, Save the Children stands ready to respond to children's evolving needs and ensure they are getting the urgent support they need.
If you are in Lebanon and are looking for information on how to receive help from Save the Children or you would like to know more about our approach to safeguarding and accountability, you can find all the relevant resources here.
