What We Do

Lebanon hosts the highest number of Syrian refugees of any country in the world relative to its population (4.3 million), with more than 900,000 Syrian refugees registered, and many more unregistered. This social shift places a huge strain on Lebanon’s socio-economic fabric and infrastructure, especially as Lebanon grapples with an unprecedented economic crisis. Tensions between refugees and vulnerable nationals competing for the same resources and services have reached a breaking point.

The demand on basic public services like education, water and electricity and the lack of basic needs have reached an unsustainable level. Lebanon’s fragile infrastructure cannot cope with the ongoing increase in population, especially in areas where the host communities are already poorly served. 

October 2019 has been Lebanon's watershed moment. While the political and economic contexts continue to evolve rapidly, people's socio-economic vulnerabilities are getting worse. More people are losing their jobs as the Lebanese pound further devaluates the foreign currency. Children have lost months without education as their families rely on negative coping mechanisms to survive. 

All this was made worse when the COVID-19 caused further disruption to every aspect of life. Even though, compared to other countries, the rate of infection has been kept in check, the lockdown imposed in March 2020 represented another blow to businesses and families. Save the Children's research has found that children view the situation mainly threatening their families' finances and their future learning. 

Save the Children’s Lebanon Country programme works to tackle these problems, providing support through different sectors, such as Education, Child Protection, Livelihoods and Shelter. 

We work in the areas most affected by the crisis. We advocate nationally and internationally for support for vulnerable communities. We also ensure that children’s voices are being heard so that we can address the immediate problems they are facing, as well as provide long lasting support to help them fullfil their potential.

To know more about what Save the Children does in Lebanon, visit our programme profile under this section.