JRS’s response to Lebanon crisis

Last Monday we suspended all our programmes in Lebanon due to the rapid escalation and unpredictability of the conflict in the region.

Families are fleeing from airstrikes in southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley. The destruction of civil infrastructure and the level of damage sustained in residential areas has already resulted in many casualties and massive forced displacement. The need for temporary shelter and emergency supplies is increasing by the hour.

This has had a significant impact on our teams and the people we serve.

Several members of our local staff have been forced to leave their homes and we have arranged temporary accommodation for them. Many of the Syrian refugees and migrant workers whom we have assisted over the years are feeling extremely helpless, lost and trapped in the current situation. Especially children, who have already lived through situations of profound distress and are in urgent need of psychosocial support.

JRS has been providing support to refugee families through home visits, accompaniment, education and the distribution of emergency aid since 2013. As we look to an uncertain future, we remain committed to accompanying those in need.

We join Pope Francis’s call to the international community to do everything possible to halt this terrible escalation, as we pray for peace in the region and for a return to the essential work of reconciliation.