Nearly one third of children in Lebanon – 29% - began the new year facing crisis levels of hunger, with some pushed into child labour to support their families, said Save the Children after new data showed an almost 5% increase in child hunger in the past three months. [1]
New figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – the leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises - come as Lebanon attempts to rebuild after 15 months of escalated conflict with Israel that has seriously damaged agricultural production, disrupted supply chains and caused prices to skyrocket.
Save the Chldren analysis of the report showed that 526,000 children in Lebanon are projected by March to be in “crisis”, “emergency” or “catastrophe” levels of hunger IPC Phase 3 and above - compared to about 504,000 children in October [2].
For the first time, IPC Phase 4, or “emergency” hunger conditions have been recorded in Lebanon, in the historic city of Baalbek, meaning households are facing high rates of malnutrition and resorting to extreme coping strategies, including child labour, illegal activities, or taking on crippling debt.
Palestinian and Syrian refugee communities in Lebanon are particularly hard hit, with 40% of them facing crisis and emergency levels of hunger - IPC Phase 3 and above.
Aisha*, a mother of three children living in northern Lebanon, has been struggling with her youngest child’s malnutrition for over a year. He is two years old.
She said: "My children often ask for things we can’t provide. None of them are in school, and my husband has been unable to work since an accident left him incapable of doing so. Many essential food items are beyond our reach due to high costs. The only thing we can consistently afford is bread. Fruits and vegetables, which are vital, are now a luxury we cannot bring home. We are simply living day by day."
