![mother carries child through rubble along the streets of Beirut following deadly blast](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_portrait/public/2020-08/RTX7NNBI_Medium_res_1.jpg?itok=PL1SDEb6)
Beirut Explosion
Thousands injured and as many as 300,000 left homeless after a massive explosion tore through neighbourhoods in Beirut.
Children and their families need help to survive and recover.
On Aug. 4, 2020 a catastrophic explosion in Lebanon’s capital tore through several downtown neighborhoods, killing more than 200 people, wounding thousands and leaving as many as 300,000 homeless.
This disaster could not come at a worse time, says World Vision’s national director in Lebanon, Hans Bederski. “Lebanon is in the middle of an economic crisis and has also seen the rate of COVID-19 infections drastically increase over the past few weeks.”
Our Response
World Vision teams are on the ground assesing the needs of the most vulnerable children. Initially, we plan to reach 120,000 people by providing:
- Temporary shelter to families whose homes have been damaged
- Food, hygiene and household supplies for families who are now homeless or staying in shelters
- Psychological First Aid to help children and families affected by the explosion
World Vision has been working in Lebanon since the onset of the civil war in Lebanon in 1975 and continues to assist Lebanese families in addition to refugee communities through emergency relief, development projects, as well as advocacy.