Australia for UNHCR is calling for urgent donations to support the growing number of displaced people fleeing Lebanon for Syria.
According to the Lebanese authorities, over 90,000 people have been newly displaced since 23 September, and more are abandoning their homes by the minute. Hundreds of vehicles are backed up in queues at the Syrian border.
“The situation is dire and the need for humanitarian assistance is immense,” said Australia for UNHCR CEO Trudi Mitchell.
“We are urging Australians to donate generously to help provide essential support to those who have been forced to flee their homes.
According to Mitchell, the immediate priority is to meet basic needs of shelter, healthcare, water and food. Every contribution can make a difference in the lives of these individuals.
“This bloodshed is extracting a terrible toll, driving tens of thousands from their homes,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
“It is yet another ordeal for families who previously fled war in Syria only now to be bombed in the country where they sought shelter.”
UNHCR is scaling up its response and is working with partners at the border crossings to provide food, water, blankets and mattresses to those arriving, and guiding them towards support available once in Syria.
The humanitarian situation in Syria remains dire; the 2023 earthquake and the drawn-out conflict there have left critical infrastructure in tatters and millions in need of assistance.
UNHCR is also responding to the needs of forcibly displaced people across Lebanon, providing shelter, health care and psychosocial support.
Related: Australia for UNHCR calls for help as famine declared in Sudan