Catholic Relief Services (Lebanon)

Throughout Lebanon's long civil war and under very difficult circumstances, Catholic Relief Services provided humanitarian assistance and reconstructed war-damaged infrastructure on a non-sectarian basis. CRS' regional office for Europe and the Middle East was relocated to Beirut in 2004. We re-established a Lebanon country program office during the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, assisting more than 250,000 war-displaced people.

Following the ceasefire, CRS and local Church partners invested significant resources to rebuild livelihoods, public buildings and community infrastructure. Since then, CRS has focused on strengthening our Lebanese partner organizations and promoting interfaith collaboration and civic participation.

Most recently, CRS has responded to the Syrian refugee crisis. Living without sufficient income and often in overcrowded homes and tents with relatives, many Syrian refugees struggle to maintain safe and healthy homes. We work with many organizations, including Caritas, to meet these humanitarian needs with various types of assistance, including food, non-food items, hygiene kits, etc. Mobile health clinics have also been dispatched to areas where there is a large refugee population.