Salesians Step Up Emergency Aid for Displaced Families

Salesians Step Up Emergency Aid for Displaced Families

(ANS – El Houssoun, Lebanon – July 22, 2026) – The latest escalation of violence in Lebanon, which began in early March, continues to worsen the situation for thousands of families who have been forced to flee their homes. In El Houssoun, the Salesians have been supporting 24 families – 116 displaced people, including 42 children and 12 elderly people – since the start of this latest crisis. These families were taken in after fleeing areas affected by bombardments and clashes, and the Salesians are providing them with everything they need: food, water, hygiene supplies, first aid, and socio-educational support. Now the work of Don Bosco’s sons has entered a new phase.

The Salesian community in Lebanon continues to stand by those who find themselves in the most vulnerable situations, in a context characterized by insecurity, displacement, and deteriorating living conditions. The country has for years been grappling with a profound economic, social, and institutional crisis, exacerbated by the financial collapse that began in 2019, the pandemic, the explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020, and the subsequent escalations of violence along the southern border.

This situation is now compounded by a new humanitarian emergency. At the beginning of March, the resumption of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, against a backdrop of growing regional tension, has once again led to the displacement of people in various parts of the country, particularly in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Families from villages near the border with Israel and from neighborhoods hit by the attacks have sought refuge in El Houssoun, where the Salesians are coordinating relief efforts alongside the local authorities.

Public aid is proving insufficient to meet basic needs, however, and many families arrive having lost their possessions, their means of livelihood, and the security of their homes. The assistance available is limited and fragmented and does not adequately meet the needs of displaced families.

The Salesians’ comprehensive response to the emergency and displacement in southern Lebanon

The Salesians aim to provide comprehensive assistance for 2 months to the 116 people they’ve taken in. The program includes food and water for 3 meals a day, hygiene products, access to electricity, gas, and the internet, cleaning supplies, first-aid kits, basic medicines, and logistical support. In addition, social and recreational activities have been organized at the oratory for children, teenagers, and young adults – one of the groups most affected by the violence and displacement.

The 24 families receiving assistance reflect a particularly difficult situation. Most are households comprising several members, including children, elderly people, and widows who depend on their extended families to get by. Repeated displacement, the loss of savings, a lack of documents, and family separation increase the risks to their safety and have a severe psychological impact.

The very situation of displaced people living in collective shelters also poses significant challenges. The lack of privacy, overcrowding, poor hygiene and sanitation, and the absence of safe spaces particularly affect women, girls, adolescents, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Therefore the Salesian response is not limited to meeting material needs, but aims to preserve the dignity, safety, and well-being of families.

The experience gained during previous crises has strengthened the capacity to respond to this emergency

The Salesian presence in Lebanon is based on extensive educational and social work. The Salesians run the Don Bosco Technical Centre in Jbeil, which caters for around 400 Lebanese students; the “Angeles de Paz” school in Beirut, attended by Iraqi and Syrian refugee children and youths; and the youth center in El Houssoun, which organizes activities for young people from different communities and promotes intercultural and interfaith dialog.

This previous experience has enabled them to organize a more rapid and coordinated response during the current emergency. During the 2024–2025 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Salesians had already launched the “Salem” initiative (peace, in Arabic), thru which they assisted displaced people and strengthened their capacity to respond to new crises.

In doing all this, the Salesians are working alongside technical staff, educators, volunteers, and security personnel, always with the aim of supporting the reception of displaced families and ensuring they can get thru this difficult time with greater protection.

Amid the uncertainty, the Salesian presence in El Houssoun is once again a place of refuge—a space where education, humanitarian support, and community accompaniment become a concrete way of caring for life and building peace in Lebanon.

Source: Misiones Salesianas