Before the war, Zaina and her family were living a ‘simple but good life’ in the south of Lebanon. ‘My husband worked as a carpenter,’ she said, ‘and we were blessed with two sons.
‘But since September last year, our village has been heavily bombed. I was eight months pregnant when the first bombings started and we had to flee from our home, panicked and in a hurry.’
The family couldn’t afford to rent a place, and many people were hesitant to provide them with refuge as they are from a Shia background. So Zaina, her husband and their two young sons were forced to live in their car for six weeks.
But thankfully, they were able to get in touch with one of the churches working with our local Christian Partner.
‘After I first met someone from the church, I went there and they gave us clothes for the boys,’ Zaina said. ‘A few days later, they gave us four blankets to stay warm in our car, as well as two boxes of ready to eat food.
‘No one helped us, other than the church.’
Lifesaving Assistance To Displaced Families
Thanks to donations from supporters like you, our Christian Partner has provided emergency items to 27,569 people impacted by the conflict in Lebanon.
This includes:
- Bedding for displaced families, such as mattresses, blankets and pillows
- Warm clothes and heaters to keep people warm
- Emergency lighting, carpets and tarps for temporary shelters
- Ready-to-eat food that can be eaten without the need for a kitchen
- Hygiene kits, menstruation products and nappies to protect people’s health
- Gas bottles and kitchenware so families can prepare food and boil water
Eleven local churches and one Christian school in Lebanon worked with our Partner to distribute these items. In many cases, they were the first to respond to people’s needs.
With your help, they initially gave these items to families who were sheltering from fighting between Israel and Hezbollah forces. Then, after the ceasefire on November 27, they continued meeting the needs of civilians who couldn’t return home, or who returned only to find their houses and possessions were destroyed.
Despite the agreement, many families are still finding it incredibly difficult to meet their needs. Living in temporary accommodation—or in some cases, on the streets—has left children exposed to the elements, while the daily challenge of buying food means families often forgo essential items, such as mattresses and warmer clothes, to survive.
‘This aid makes a big difference for the displaced families,’ one church volunteer said. ‘People who are displaced don’t have cooking stoves or even gas, sometimes they don’t even have electricity where they are. Many people are still on the streets; some have installed tents right on the streets under trees.’
They were so thankful that the food in the boxes we distribute can be eaten without cooking.
Another volunteer added, ‘We try to not only help them materially, but to help them emotionally by listening to them and just being by their side.’
Zaina appreciates the kindness she was shown by members of the church and remarked on how they treated her with ‘dignity and respect.’ The family still hasn’t been able to return home as their house was damaged by the bombing, but they are thankfully now able to rent a small place, and stop living in their car.
When Zaina gave birth to her third son, she gave him a Christian name to ‘honour the Christians who helped us in this tough time.
‘We still don’t know how we will be able to get by in the future. I hope the church can keep on helping us,’ she said. ‘May God make everything better.’
How You Can Pray And Help
By February this year, over 890,000 people in Lebanon had returned home, while 99,000 are still displaced. ‘People out there still need our help,’ one church member said, ‘Please pray for us!’
If you’d like to support their continuing efforts to provide for displaced families, you can give again here.
Meanwhile, please pray for:
• For the return home—many families have returned to damaged houses, while others must continue living in temporary accommodation. Pray that God would pave the way for people to return safely to their homes and resume their lives.
• Our Partners—that God would give them strength and wisdom so they can continue serving families in great need. Pray for the local churches as they serve faithfully with our Partners, for their safety and endurance in such difficult times.
• The wellbeing of families—many people are still deeply impacted by the conflict and its consequences. Pray that families would be able to meet their basic needs, and that those who are traumatised would be able to recover and heal.
