Lasting peace across the region is the only way to protect children from suffering
A ceasefire deal has been agreed between Israel and Hezbollah. This is a welcome announcement and a relief after a year of conflict in the south and especially following the unimaginable violence that erupted in September.
Children in Lebanon have been killed, injured, uprooted from their homes, cut off from food, healthcare and school and exposed to hugely traumatic events.
While the conditional ceasefire in Lebanon offers hope, the humanitarian situation remains dire, and the context remains volatile. Immediate action is needed to end civilian suffering in Lebanon and the region, deliver lifesaving assistance and begin the long process of recovery in a humanitarian context that was already critical before the onset of hostilities.
The situation remains fragile with multiple ceasefire violations recorded in the first days alone. Children and families are still being subjected to attacks even now as many try to return to their homes.
The nightmare isn’t over for children. Many will be returning to homes, villages, and farmlands that have been flattened or decimated by bombs. There is huge risk that lands may be scattered with unexploded ordnances and children will need specialist education on how to navigate these risks.
Many children will have to continue living in overcrowded, basic shelters because their homes or villages have been destroyed, and these shelters lack adequate heating at a time when the first snowfall has arrived in Lebanon.
Children and their families need support more than ever. Children will need specialist emotional and psycho-social support to mitigate the distressing experiences they’ve faced. They will need support to catch up on lost education, in inclusive and safe environments. Children who have been separated from their families will need help being reunited with loved ones or finding alternative care. Families who have lost their jobs and income will need support to rebuild their livelihoods.
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 supported more than 175,000 people including more than 70,000 children.
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.
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