Caritas Internationalis President Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle visited a refugee camp in Lebanon in February 2016 as part of the Syria: Peace is Possible Campaign.
Caritas interviewed 288 Syrian refugee families in Beirut, Tripoli, and Saida. It found that refugee households paid an average $291 in rent and were forced to spend an average three-quarters (76%) of their total income on rental.
More than half of the Syrian refugees (56%) in Lebanon are under 18. While only one in ten was injured in the conflict before arriving in Lebanon, many of the child refugees show symptoms of trauma, including flashbacks and nightmares.
Caritas is a mission, not a job. Nirmala Wijesinghe who runs a Caritas safe house in Beiruit is one of the many staff and volunteers around the world who illustrate this through their constant dedication and hard work.
Interview with Caritas Lebanon Director Rita Rhayem on improving relief efforts for refugees.
Migrant domestic workers should be treated with the same respect as any other worker: “Treat others as you want to be treated”. That's the message of a film by Caritas Lebanon to coincide with forth anniversary of an internation convention setting labour standards for domestic workers.
Caritas centres have seen an increase in the numbers of Iraqi refugees arriving in Lebanon in need of support since ISIS (Daech) extremists swept across northern Iraq in 2014.
Four years of war have left Syria in ruins, millions of people have fled and the violence has spread across the region. Caritas is providing aid to 1.2 million people.
The situation for Syrian refugees in Lebanon is tough, and the needs are enormous, but as the humanitarian crisis enters its fifth year Caritas staff are meeting this overwhelming situation with dedication and perseverance, and in many cases being the crucial difference between survival and destitution.
The Lebanese health system is largely private. For poor Syrian refugees in need of medical care, this is an enormous issue. Caritas is one of the only organisations in Lebanon supporting medical fees.