Updates from Lebanon - In the afternoon, the first truck of humanitarian aid from Beirut reached the displaced people who had taken refuge in the convent of Tyre.
Tyre, 27 September - Since 23 September, Lebanon has been hit by a series of devastating air raids , with a tragic toll that so far counts at least 570 victims and 1,800 injured, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health. The attacks caused a mass exodus from the worst-hit areas in the south and east of the country, forcing thousands of civilians to flee to Beirut and the Mount Lebanon region.
We immediately started a preliminary needs assessment in the shelters located in the Beirut and Mount Lebanon area: thanks to direct contact with the directors of the local public schools , we identified what the priority needs of internally displaced people are: there is an urgent need for basic necessities, hot meals, water, baby products and sanitation products.
We are currently in contact with two schools in the Beirut-Mount Lebanon area: each of these schools currently hosts about 300 displaced people. Of these, in coordination with other NGOs, we can help about a hundred per school. In addition, we continue to offer support to the convent in Tyre, where we provide help to about fifty families including about 40 very young children, who need baby products.
We are organizing a distribution of hot meals and water, mattresses and blankets, hygiene kits and baby products: in this way for at least a month we will be able to guarantee access to basic necessities to about 300 people, between Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the Tyre area. Mobility within the country is difficult, and this morning the truck that left Beirut to reach Tyre was blocked for several hours; however, in the afternoon, the first humanitarian aid reached the displaced people who had taken refuge in the convent of Tyre.
In this way, supported by our local partners and numerous volunteers - some very young, eager to do their part at such a significant time - we were able to deliver aid to hundreds of displaced families: the elderly, women and children were able to return to count on basic needs, a breath of relief in a situation of deep uncertainty.
This is just the beginning: we are starting a chain of aid to reach as many people as possible, and to do so every little bit is important. If you want to help us, donate to our campaign Crisis in Lebanon - Support the displaced!
