What is happening in Lebanon?
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has had a ripple effect in Lebanon with continued armed confrontation on Lebanon's southern border, leading to a dire humanitarian crisis.
The poverty rate has nearly doubled and the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that food prices in Lebanon have risen by 628% in just two years.
Conflict is rapidly escalating, and intensified air raids have triggered new displacement from the south and Bekaa to Mount Lebanon in the north.  Amid the new wave of displacement, Caritas partners are already mobilising to provide emergency assistance in the form of:
Caritas Lebanon staff distributing goods. Photo: Caritas Lebanon.
Medical, food and hygiene support
to a collective shelter.
Emotional and social support, as well as cash
for shelter for displaced and conflict-affected families.
Household and hygiene supplies
to municipalities.
As this crisis continues to unfold, local hospitals are rationing electricity and relying on patients to bring their own medicine due to a shortage of supplies, equipment and clean water.
What is Caritas Australia doing to support Lebanon?
With your generosity, Caritas Australia has been supporting Caritas Lebanon since the launch of its Lebanon Crisis Appeal in May 2024.  This support has primarily dealt with the impacts of the economic crisis, including rent and cash assistance for bills and school fees, the provision of primary healthcare, covering of medical fees, mobile clinics supporting those with a disability and the elderly, as well as protection services for women facing gender-based violence.   
Last month, a Caritas Lebanon program run in partnership with the WFP. This saw:
134,571
hot meals distributed.
1,000
dignity kits distributed.
1,327 mattresses, 1,328 pillows, 1,328 blankets,
776 hygiene kits and 756 baby kits given to those affected.
This is just a snapshot of the work being done by our partners on the ground who have supported over a hundred thousand internally displaced and affected persons, delivering over one million critical services.
These services include daily hot meals, ready-to-eat food packages, hygiene kits, baby and elderly care kits, protection services, and comprehensive healthcare including psychosocial support to help individuals cope with trauma.  
Behind the politics of this dire and rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East are real people, families and communities fleeing their homes with nothing. Many of these people were already weathering one of the worst economic crises in the world in the past 150 years, and now face winter with no home and no income.Â
Caritas Lebanon’s vast network is a lifeline for our brothers and sisters facing severe challenges, as is the continued compassion and generosity of the community here in Australia.
What can I do to help?
Your generous support is pivotal during this time of need, and it can help provide urgent assistance to vulnerable people in Lebanon.
Please donate to our emergency appeal today.
