Lebanon/Beirut/Aid for refugees and the poor

Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, has for ten years been the focus of brutal riots that reflect the country’s dire position. Lebanon has two million internally and externally displaced individuals, the majority of whom are Syrians, which is around 20 times the number of refugees in Italy.
The catastrophic situation in Lebanon, and particularly in Beirut, became apparent in the very strong images that came from the city’s port, which were canceled in an instant by a very violent explosion. In a 24-kilometer radius, significant damage was recorded, with thousands injured and hundreds killed.
Recently, the total collapse of the financial system has been added to the acute difficulties. Lebanon is now in a situation of insolvency and is no longer able to provide the most vulnerable people.
Pro Terra Sancta is active in Beirut on three fronts:
First, since 2017 the Association has been helping the Franciscan friars in maintaining the Casa San Francesco d’Assisi, where conditions of integration and formation are guaranteed for a dozen very young Syrian refugees.
Second, in the particularly poor area of ​​Harissa, Pro Terra Sancta regularly distributes food, clothing, medicine and school supplies to dozens of poor Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese families.
Third, with the spread of the pandemic, the explosion of the port of Beirut and the definitive default of the state, Pro Terra Sancta has established an emergency center that has assisted 250 families in the most basic needs. The Association also financed the reconstruction of 35 houses destroyed in the port area’s conflagration.