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Hope for Children Displaced by Conflict in Lebanon
Seven-year-old Rami should be worrying about homework, football with his friends, and which color pencil to use in his notebook. Instead, he is learning what it means to leave home in the middle of fear.
Rami is Lebanese from Baalbek. He lives with his parents and his three siblings in a modest home where life has never been easy.
When the bombing intensified in early March, Rami’s family made the difficult decision to leave their home in Douris and seek safety in Deir Al-Ahmar. For the adults, it was a painful but necessary decision. For Rami, it felt like the world he knew suddenly disappeared.
“I was very afraid of the bombing sound,” Rami says quietly, his small voice trembling as he remembers the night they left. “It was very loud.”
In the rush to escape, Rami had to leave behind the things that mattered most to him. His school bag stayed in the house. Inside it were his notebooks, pencils, and something even more precious. A small teddy bear.
The teddy bear was not just a toy. It was a reward from his teacher at the ADRA Learning Center after Rami proudly solved a difficult math equation in class. His teacher had given it to him with a smile, telling him he was very clever.
For a child, small things carry big meanings. That teddy bear represented pride, encouragement, and the warm feeling of belonging in a classroom filled with friends.
Now in Deir Al-Ahmar, Rami says he feels safer than before. The loud sounds that once made him cry are further away. But safety does not erase the longing for normal life.
Lebanon at a Glance
Around the world today, 1 in 5 children are living in areas affected by conflict and violence*. Rami is just one child impacted by instability in the Middle East.
Lebanon has faced years of overlapping crises. An economic collapse that began in 2019 pushed many families into poverty. The 2020 Beirut port explosion caused widespread devastation and loss. The country continues to host one of the largest refugee populations per capita in the world. In recent months, renewed insecurity and airstrikes in parts of the country have forced many families to flee their homes once again.
Humanitarian organizations report that more than 1.3 million people have been recently displaced in Lebanon, including approximately 300,000 children. Families are seeking safety with relatives, in churches, schools, collective shelters, and on the streets*.
Humanitarian agencies, including ADRA Líbano, are responding by providing essential support such as food, safe drinking water, blankets, and hygiene supplies for families who have been forced to leave their homes.
Lebanon Response
ADRA Lebanon maintains operational offices and field presence in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Baalbek, and the Bekaa Valley. This allows teams to reach affected communities and coordinate with local authorities and humanitarian partners.
As part of the initial emergency response, ADRA Lebanon has begun distributing hygiene kits, dignity kits, and safe drinking water to more than 400 displaced families hosted in collective shelters.
Through coordination with local partners, ADRA is able to reach families across multiple locations. By combining ADRA’s hygiene and dignity assistance with partners’ bedding or shelter support, humanitarian teams can help ensure that families receive more complete assistance while making the best use of local networks, volunteers, and shared field teams.
“ADRA Lebanon began its emergency response by distributing safe drinking water, water for washing, hygiene kits, and dignity kits to displaced families in collective shelters, that’s 432 packs of Hygiene kits, dignity kits and water,” said an ADRA Lebanon representative.
“We quickly saw how critical hygiene is for children and their families, especially in overcrowded places where conditions were poor and people had very limited access to basic cleaning supplies.
Children’s needs are often different and urgent, including diapers and baby food.”
“That is why ADRA Lebanon is now activating cash-based and voucher-based assistance to help ensure every child receives exactly what they need.”
ADRA Lebanon’s response is being coordinated closely with Adventist volunteers from the Adventist Learning Center and Adventist Community Center. As needs continue to grow, ADRA Lebanon is also exploring additional ways to support children and their families with nutritious food and other essential assistance.
Middle East
ADRA has worked in the Middle East and North Africa region for decades, partnering with local organizations to provide emergency relief, support livelihoods, strengthen community resilience, and restore dignity in times of crisis.
The agency’s humanitarian work is guided by principles of justice, compassion, and love, serving people regardless of race, political affiliation, or religious belief.
What Hope Brings
Like most children impacted by conflict, what Rami wants is simple.
“I want peace,” he says. “I want to go back to my normal life and see my friends again.”
For Rami, peace means a classroom, a school bag on his shoulders, and a teddy bear sitting quietly beside him while he learns his next math lesson.
Rami carries both fear and hope in his small heart. Even while the world around him feels uncertain, his wish remains beautifully clear. He wants to return to a life where the only challenge he has to solve is the next math equation on the board.
Rami is not alone. Many children and families living through conflict carry the same mixture of fear and hope.
Across the Middle East, ADRA teams are responding with compassion to families affected by violence and displacement.
Because of the generosity of donors and supporters, ADRA can provide essential assistance such as clean water, hygiene supplies, and emergency relief to those forced to flee their homes.
Guided by a commitment to Justice, Compassion, and Love, this work reminds families like Rami’s that they are not forgotten. In the midst of uncertainty, it brings comfort, dignity, and the hope that peace and stability can return to their communities.
*This information is accurate as of March 23, 2026. We expect these numbers to increase.
Author | ADRA International w/ ADRA Lebanon
Photo Credit | ADRA Lebanon
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