SERVING OTHERS IN NEED
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in Lebanon amid the escalation in hostilities. Responding to the urgent humanitarian situation unfolding in the country, the Jesuit Church of Saint Joseph in Beirut has opened its doors to about 70 Sudanese who have been displaced because of the fighting. These families, some of whom have sought refuge in shelters, were refused in other places because they are migrants.
The initiative, led by Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the Arrupe Migrant Center in Beirut, seeks to provide immediate relief and temporary sanctuary for the migrants by repurposing the first floor of the church to accommodate them as they seek longer-term shelter.
JRS has been present in the country since 2013, providing refugees with accompaniment, education and psychosocial support. However, due to the rapid escalation and unpredictability of the conflict, efforts are now directed to emergency support, with the distribution of basic necessities and mattresses in shelters. In addition, many JRS staff were also affected and forced to flee their homes because of the bombing.
The emergency response calls for support – food, mattresses, hygiene kits, clothing and volunteers to help with activities for children, many of whom have already lived through situations of profound distress and are in urgent need of psychosocial support.
Jesuit Refugee Service staff preparing food for those displaced by the conflict in Lebanon. Photos: JRS MENA
Fr Michael Zammit, Provincial of the Near-East (PRO) recounts the tale of a nation besieged by uncertainty and violence. While leaving Beirut for Cairo recently, in the company of another Jesuit heading to the Novitiate, he wondered how the only airline that still dared to fly managed to take off in time amid the confusion at the baggage check-in area.
His departure coincided with the second day of school closures, even in the capital Beirut, after deadly attacks across Lebanon – from southern strongholds to the Beqaa valley – on 24 September. More than 500 people were reportedly killed in those attacks.
Fr Zammit described the horrific scenes at Saint Joseph’s Jesuit University Hospital in Beirut following the pager and walkie-talkie bomb attacks last month. He said that on the first day, Tuesday 17 September, more than 80 injured people arrived at the hospital with wounds ranging from finger amputations to facial injuries and irreparable eye damage.
He said that over the weekend there had been a mass exodus from the south, in particular from the Beqaa and other dangerous areas. Tens of thousands of people were on the roads trying to reach the north of the country, and some were reported to have left Lebanese territory on foot for Syria.
Despite this turmoil, Fr Zammit finds some solace in the resilience of the Jesuit community, though many Jesuits are distressed for their families. He also highlighted the empathy being shown to the students living in areas that have been devastated by bombing.
Jesuit Mission Australia has activated its Emergency Action Fund to support JRS’s emergency response to the Lebanon Humanitarian Crisis. They are assisting displaced women, men and children with shelter, bedding, food and hygiene kits.
To support Jesuit Mission’s Emergency Action Fund, donate today
Adapted from the original article published on the Jesuits.Global website
Banner image shows a soldier in Beirut, Lebanon, standing next to cars damaged during an air strike on a nearby apartment block on 30 September. Photo by Carl Court / Getty Images