Lebanon facing economic ruin

The economic crisis faced by Lebanon since 2019 has been exacerbated by the Beirut blasts in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the war in Ukraine.

Two years since the explosions in Beirut devastated the city, only half of the residents have been able to return to their homes. The national currency has lost 99 per cent of its value. Basic services like electricity, healthcare, education and protection services are failing. Food and agriculture supplies are limited as 78 per cent of the country’s wheat is usually imported from Russia and Ukraine. There are shortages in gas and medications, and rampant inflation has caused the price of essential items to increase so much that they are now out of reach for the 80 per cent of the population living below the poverty line.

“We are hitting new lows as economic degradation continues,” says CARE’s Country Director in Lebanon, Bujar Hoxha. “Buying a bag of bread, filling the car with fuel or having electricity has become a luxury.”

Please give now to CARE Australia’s Global Emergency Fund to provide lifesaving support to families all around the world enduring crises like this.

Beirut blasts of 2020

One of the massive blasts that struck the port of Beirut in August 2020 was the third largest in history after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It completely decimated the city, killing 220 people and displacing 300,000 more. 

Families were left in urgent need of shelter, food and emergency supplies.

CARE and our local partners responded with a large-scale humanitarian response, distributing hot meals, food stocks, and shelter supplies to those made homeless by the explosions, as well as support with long term rehabilitation for people, businesses and infrastructure. 

“Two years after the blast, much remains to be done,” Hoxha says. “Lebanon is sliding deeper into poverty every day.”

“We have rebuilt as much as possible”

When the blasts partially destroyed the apartment she lives in, Rita felt lost.

“We often have to go to my grandparents’ to eat something,” she said in the days after the disaster, as Beirut faced a crippling food shortage. With the hot meals and shelter supplies made available through kind donations, Rita’s family were able to start again. 

“We have rebuilt as much as possible,” she told us.

Yet, everyday life is still a struggle to survive for millions across the country.

A long recovery

CARE’s Country Director in Lebanon, Bujar Hoxha, said: “A lot more still needs to happen in order for many families to avoid sleeping with empty stomachs, and to provide them with even basic healthcare and medicine. Today many Lebanese people have difficulty finding enough food to feed their families. More support is needed from the international community.”

What is CARE doing to support families and communities in Lebanon? 

CARE has reached more than 50,000 of the most vulnerable — women and girls, and refugee and host communities — with food, protection, and shelter. But millions are still struggling to survive, as costs are rising while their local currency loses value. The most vulnerable people are starving and some children may never return to school. The crises’ ripple effect is threatening millions of lives.

CARE is addressing the urgent humanitarian and protection needs, and enhancing  access to basic services for affected individuals. We are providing food parcels, hygiene kits and cash assistance to those who are struggling, and increasing protection services for the most vulnerable. 

More support is needed to ensure communities can survive and recover from the economic crisis, exacerbated by the Beirut blast one year ago, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please give now to CARE Australia’s Global Emergency Fund to provide lifesaving support to families all around the world enduring crises like this.

How long has CARE been working in Lebanon?

CARE has been working in Lebanon since 2013, supporting Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities affected by the Syria Crisis. CARE meets refugees’ and host communities’ most basic and pressing needs, mainly providing water, sanitation, hygiene, non-food items and cash assistance in the areas of Mount-Lebanon, North and South Lebanon.

Donate to Lebanon Crisis Appeal by phone

Call 1800 020 046 toll free and pay by credit card.

Donations over $2 are tax deductible.

CARE will use donations to our Global Emergency Fund to provide emergency relief and services to those who need them most. This will help the world’s most vulnerable people prepare for, and recover from, emergencies and disasters.