Lebanon

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Lebanon to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 10,000 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Lebanon. Highlights include:

• Enabling children to enjoy quality education as a result of parent-teacher associations, donated equipment and teacher training on alternative methods of discipline.
• Organizing Mother Action Groups that encourage mothers to spread the word about the importance of healthy behaviors.
• Empowering children to affect change in their communities by promoting child-led campaigns on healthy lifestyle choices.

World Vision’s involvement in Lebanon began in 1975 with childcare work through schools and healthcare institutions. Since then, some major accomplishments include:

• Supplying food, medication, and clothing to families displaced by civil war in the late 1970s and into the 1990s.
• Helping children gain access to quality education since the 1980s.
• Providing communities with nutrition, education, healthcare, and agriculture programs since the 1990s.
• Distributing food, water, and hygiene supplies to people affected by internal fighting since the beginning of the 21st century.

Geography and people

Lebanon, located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, shares its borders with Syria and Israel. The western mountain range contains the last remaining groves of the Cedars of Lebanon, used by the ancient Phoenicians to build ships, houses, and temples.

With its Mediterranean climate, Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East that does not have a desert. Natural resources include limestone, iron ore, salt, drinkable water, and arable land.

More than 95 percent of Lebanese people are Arabic. The remaining population consists of Armenians, Kurds, Jews, and Persians. Many Christian Lebanese identify themselves as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians.

Arabic is the country’s official language, though French, English, and Armenian are also widely spoken and taught in schools.

Many Lebanese people work in industries such as wood and furniture production, mineral and chemical processing, and cement factories. Tourism is also a primary source of national income.

History

After 23 years under France’s rule, Lebanon gained independence in 1943. The country’s history since independence has been marked by civil war and political turmoil. The one exception was in the 1960s when Lebanon enjoyed a period of peace, focusing on banking and tourism.

The calm was shattered in April 1975 when Lebanese gunmen ambushed a bus. That event sparked a 16-year civil war filled with car bombs, rocket-propelled attacks, and assassinations. By the end of hostilities in May 1991, hundreds of thousands of people had been killed or affected by the war. Post-war recovery hit a setback in 2006 when a 34-day war started between a Lebanese Islamic group, Hezbollah, and Israel.

In the past few years, debate and tensions have marked elections.

Please pray for:

A calm and peaceful year in Lebanon, with a stable government and economy.

All children who are in need of love, care, and protection.