“During my visit to Beirut a few weeks ago, I spoke with many families about the difficult economic situation and the enormous challenges they face in their everyday lives. At the same time, there was a palpable sense of hope for normalization,” says Bettina Iseli, Chief Program Officer at Welthungerhilfe. “This renewed war within two years is destroying much of what has been painstakingly built up and is bringing the country to the brink of collapse. The people urgently need an end to the fighting and a real prospect of peace,” demands Bettina Iseli.
Women, children, older people, and people with disabilities are particularly affected. Many collective shelters, some of which have been set up temporarily in churches and schools, are overcrowded and have inadequate sanitary facilities and little privacy. At the same time, essential public services are under growing pressure: Hospitals are being partially evacuated, while water and electricity supplies in many places are reaching their limits.
“The situation has deteriorated significantly again over the last ten days. In our project areas in the south and also in the capital, we hear bombing in the immediate vicinity every day,” reports Marie Madeleine Bejjani, Head of Project at Welthungerhilfe in Beirut. “People are living in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. Many families have been displaced multiple times and are desperately trying to find safety somewhere. At the same time, however, we are also seeing people across the country coming together and supporting each other. And that gives us a little hope!“
