Lebanon:
Humanitarian emergency
Project: Lebanon emergency situation (Conflict escalation at the southern border)
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CARE Belgium contribution: CARE Belgium supports the project through communication, advocacy and fundraising activities, in collaboration with other members of the CARE network.
Location: Aley, Saida, Beirut, El Nabatieh, and Sour (internally displaced persons (IDPs) concentrated in these five districts)
Context:
Lebanon has plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis.
The collapse of the economic system has led to record inflation: it is one of the worst global crises since the mid-19th century, according to the World Bank. The exhausted population is lacking everything: money, food, electricity, and medicine. In September 2024, Israeli strikes worsened an already dire situation. Thousands of people continue to flee their homes, and hundreds have lost their lives.
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Lebanon’s humanitarian situation remains dire, with hundreds of thousands of conflict-affected individuals facing critical needs and ongoing challenges that require both immediate and long-term assistance. Displacement dynamics continue to evolve, with thousands of households grappling with complex hardships as they seek stability in the aftermath of the conflict and amid persistent violations of the cessation of hostilities.
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As of 25 December, over 160,900 people remain displaced outside their cadasters of origin, reflecting a 3% decrease since 19 December; International Organization for Migration (IOM). National and local authorities estimate that approximately 90,000 people have entered Lebanon from Syria as of 24 December; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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Cross-border movements have persisted throughout the reporting period. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), national authorities in Lebanon estimate that by 20 December, around 90,000 individuals had arrived in the Hermel area of Baalbek-El Hermel governorate, including 20,000 Lebanese nationals. Among these, 39,321 individuals, mostly Syrians, are residing in 175 collective shelters.
Objectif général
Cover the needs of the population in the following key sectors : Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), food security, shelter, and gender/protection.
Duration: September 2024 - ongoing
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Bénéficiaires: 22 000 individuals
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Specific objectives
CARE is providing food assistance (hot meals, voucher assistance, and food parcels), dignity kits, safe spaces for women and girls, hygiene kits, water distribution and water trucking, Non-Food Items and shelter kits for IDPs in and outside of collective shelters, as well as returnees. CARE’s response is focused on Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North Lebanon (Akkar), the South, and has expanded into Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel and Nabatiyeh due to the ceasefire.
Following lessons learned, CIL is committed to assessing shelters in its intervention areas to ensure the direct provision of services, accountability, and necessary information sessions on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), gender-based violence (GBV) Psychological First Aid (PFA) provision. This helps mitigate the risks of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and fraud while ensuring staff safety during distributions.
During the upcoming weeks, CARE will also respond to the needs of the returning population as well as those still residing in collective shelters and who are unable to return to their places of origin. Furthermore, for vulnerable communities whose homes have been destroyed, CARE ensures that its ongoing operations continue to provide support to these individuals.
CARE has closely coordinated with various stakeholders including INGOs, UN and DRM and DRR units to monitor the situation in Lebanon’s border region with Syria.