A Place to Call Safe Again

For more than 60 years, Walid has called Beirut home. Despite years of economic hardship, he worked hard to provide for his family and build a life for his daughter and two granddaughters. His greatest hope has always been to keep his family safe and ensure they have a place they can call home.

That changed when the conflict intensified in 2024, forcing thousands of families across Lebanon to flee their homes. Although a ceasefire brought a period of relative calm, renewed hostilities in March 2026 once again shattered communities, triggering new waves of displacement and deepening an already fragile humanitarian situation.

Following forced displacement orders issued for Beirut's southern suburbs early March, Walid and his family fled after a devastating airstrike struck a building across from their home. With little time to think, they left behind everything they had built and sought refuge in Mount Lebanon, where they now share a home alongside another displaced family.  

"When the war escalated in March, I left my home with my daughter and two granddaughters to keep them safe," Walid recalls. "Leaving behind our home and the life we had built there was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. The house was badly damaged during the first week of the conflict and is still not safe for us to return."

Displacement deepened challenges that had already weighed heavily on the family. Lebanon's prolonged economic crisis had made it increasingly difficult to afford even their most basic needs, and the conflict only pushed them further into hardship. Without a stable income, Walid now struggles to provide food, water, electricity, and shelter for his family. To make what little they have last, they often eat just one meal a day.

Living with chronic health problems has made everyday life even more difficult.

"My main concern is making sure that my family, especially my granddaughters, have a safe place to stay and the basics we need," he says.

Through funding from generous donors, Medair provided Walid's family with Cash for Shelter assistance, helping them secure safer accommodation and reducing one of the greatest pressures they faced after being displaced.

"The Cash for Shelter assistance helped us secure safer accommodation and regain some stability after everything changed so suddenly," Walid says.

Walid's story reflects the experience of thousands of families across Lebanon who were forced to flee their homes during the conflict and continue to face the financial and emotional consequences of displacement. Medair is helping vulnerable families access safer shelter, providing them with stability and the opportunity to begin rebuilding their lives while they wait for the day they can return home safely.

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Medair's work in Lebanon is possible with funding from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund/OCHA, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Department of State – United States, Swiss Development Cooperation through Interaction-CH , German Federal Foreign Office, Government of the Principality of Monaco, Métropole de Grenoble, and generous private donors.

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.  

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