ShelterBox Update

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

When I wrote last month I could not have anticipated the further chaos into which the world has been thrown, and the consequential humanitarian crisis that has now emerged in Lebanon. You will have already received from me the flyer about the ShelterBox Appeal for Lebanon, but I thought that you might welcome the latest information from ShelterBox about the response to the crisis. As you will see Rotary is playing a key role showing the significance of the formal partnership between our two organisations.

ShelterBox writes:

Context

Continued deadly airstrikes, launched across the Middle East, have forced more than a million people from their homes. Hundreds of people have been killed, and the violence is escalating. Instability is spreading across Lebanon, the Gulf, and other Middle Eastern states.

Families in Lebanon have been forced to flee to schools, communal buildings, or makeshift shelters. Many have no choice but to sleep outdoors on the streets or along Beirut’s beaches, too afraid to remain in residential areas as the strikes continue.

Lebanon, home to six million people, already hosts large Syrian and Palestinian refugee communities. Many were living in overcrowded or informal shelters long before this latest surge in violence. Now, even more displacement is hitting communities that are already stretched far beyond capacity.

How ShelterBox is responding in Lebanon
We’re working closely with an organisation in Lebanon (SHiFT Social Innovation Hub) and Rotary in Lebanon to support families forced to flee their homes. Along with our partner organisation, we will distribute essential items such as blankets, mattresses, food containers, solar lights, kitchen sets, and hygiene kits. These essential items will help families stay warm at night, store and cook what little food they may have, and maintain basic hygiene in crowded shelters. We're focusing on areas where displacement is highest in Tripoli, Akkar, Saida, Beirut and Mount Lebanon.

Details of the response can be found on the ShelterBox website via this link:

 https://shelterbox.org/lebanon-middle-east-comm/