Corus responds to urgent needs of IDPs in Lebanon

• On September 23, 2024, Israel began bombing southern Lebanon as part of its ongoing offensive against Hezbollah. 
• More than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon, many sheltering in schools in the capital Beirut. Corus organization Lutheran World Relief is in Lebanon. 
• Our team there is coordinating humanitarian crisis response operations that have already reached IDPs in Beirut with hot meals and clean water, and supplies and support for civilians in the southern region, where fighting is most intense.

The escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has driven more than one million people from their homes. Life in south Lebanon had been peaceful and — after years of financial struggle — on the verge of economic recovery before this new wave of violence erupted. Now, families are living in vacant buildings. Some are staying with family members. Children haven’t been able to resume their studies as all education in the region has been suspended with more than 500 schools sheltering the displaced.

"I am from south Lebanon, and I am afraid.” That’s what 10-year-old Adam told Corus organization Lutheran World Relief when his family arrived at a shelter outside Beirut, Lebanon, on September 25. 

As bombs fell on their hometown in Bint Jbeil, Adam’s family packed everything they could grab quickly. In a matter of minutes, they were in the car, driving as fast and far as possible to escape the danger. After a12-hour drive to Beirut, Adam and his sister waited in the car for several more hours while their parents searched for a safe place to sleep, finally finding shelter where our Lebanon Country Director Ali Hijazi and team were assessing needs.

Hijazi describes the situation as "the most dire crisis in Lebanon’s modern history." This is not only due to the immediate casualties and destruction but also because of the enduring impact this violence will have on the region. 

“This is just the beginning of this humanitarian tragedy, and where you will see dire social consequences, because remember those people, they lost their access to income, to jobs, they don't have money. So ... through the days, they will be really running out of resources,” he says.

Lutheran World Relief has implemented economic development and emergency response programming in Lebanon since 2017, including a large-scale response to the 2020 Beirut blast. Most recently, Lutheran World Relief has led women’s entrepreneurship programs and delivered humanitarian aid for citizens who fled bombings in their home villages over the last year — both in the south of the country. When the conflict intensified on September 23, our team quickly moved to expand humanitarian operations in response to the overwhelming need, especially in Beirut and in the south.

Our team is already assisting IDPs in Beirut with hot meals and clean water, while coordinating a larger scale response, which could extend to civilians in the southern region, where fighting is most intense.

Muhammad Tahir
Sr. Media Relations Manager, Corus International
@email