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Lebanon: Rushing Lifesaving Aid Children Caught in Middle East Crossfire
The long-awaited truce brings hope that a safe passage is now open for the delivery of humanitarian aid. The ship's cargo included $300,000 of relief supplies for some 45,000 war-weary civilians. The 37 tons of relief supplies from World Vision included water purification units, collapsible water containers, hygiene kits, medicine, three trucks and a portable warehouse. "I and many other Lebanese are cautiously optimistic that the ceasefire will hold together," said Tony Matar, World Vision Lebanon operations director. "And if it does, God willing, we will finally have the opportunity to step up our relief efforts in a very significant way throughout the country. "An urgent priority is to assist many of the 100,000 people in southern Lebanon who have been increasingly isolated by conflict, and well beyond our reach over the last three weeks." If the ceasefire holds, a large portion of the estimated 750,000 people displaced by the fighting are expected to make their way back home. People fled the south with only a small amount of food, water and clothing. As they return home, many may find their homes destroyed. World Vision's next relief efforts will include the delivery of water, hygiene kits and food, while expanding child-focused programs and protection, including psychosocial activities and Child Friendly Spaces. As in all conflicts, children suffer the most. UNICEF estimates nearly a third of those killed and nearly half of the displaced in Lebanon were children. World Vision has opened two Child Friendly Spaces to help the displaced. At one site, a mother named Fatima watched her three children play and said with tears in her eyes, "I can barely recognize them with their new little smiling faces." Her family had been displaced from their village for two weeks. World Vision has already assisted some 30,000 people in Lebanon through distributions of food, medicine, medical supplies and hygiene kits in all four main regions of the country. During the 5 weeks of bombing, southern Lebanon turned into the most devastated and dangerous region. As truck convoys from humanitarian agencies become military targets, World Vision began using passenger cars and SUVs to transport relief goods to isolated communities. Water, Food Scarce in Gaza Another crisis has been escalating in the Gaza Strip where almost a million people are living without electricity and water after recent missile attacks. World Vision staff report that food shortages are "just around the corner." Blockades have made delivery of humanitarian aid difficult. To date, World Vision has distributed food parcels for 32,800 people in Gaza. World Vision has worked in the Middle East for 30 years, providing humanitarian and development aid to children and families in need. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. In a region filled with political and social tension, World Vision's goal is to create an environment where children can thrive, reach their full potential, and a "generation transformed" can build lasting peace. |  | 1-888-511-6548 : P.O. Box 9716 World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
  
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