Keep Our Children Alive: Healing Minds Amid Conflict in Lebanon
In Southern Lebanon, childhood has become a casualty of war.
The laughter that once filled playgrounds has been replaced by silence — a silence born from fear, loss, and the weight of memories no child should ever carry.
Since October 2023, waves of violence have displaced tens of thousands of children across Lebanon. Families fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs, seeking refuge in overcrowded shelters. Schools that once offered structure and safety are now damaged or closed, their classrooms turned into temporary homes. For many children, the trauma of war lives on long after the sounds of airstrikes fade.
The Unseen Scars
Behind every statistic is a story — a ten-year-old boy who cannot sleep without holding his mother’s hand, terrified of losing her as he lost his father.
A twelve-year-old girl who hasn’t spoken since the day her family was taken from her.
These are not isolated cases. They represent thousands of children struggling with post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and grief.
At LIPPA, we believe that mental health is not a privilege — it’s a lifeline. Through our partnership with Connect Children Now (CCN) and Defence for Children International – Lebanon, we support a critical mission: to help these children heal, recover, and rediscover what it means to feel safe.
Turning Fear into Strength
Through this project, over 70 displaced children between the ages of 6 and 14 are receiving trauma-informed mental health and psychosocial support. Each child takes part in personalized therapy sessions — safe spaces where they can express their pain through words, art, and play.
Weekly group activities built around mindfulness, music, and storytelling help children rebuild trust, reconnect with others, and remember how to be children again. In parallel, caregivers participate in psychoeducation workshops that teach them how to create stability and emotional safety at home.
Healing here is not instant — it’s slow, fragile, and deeply personal. But it begins with the simple act of listening.
And every week, small victories appear: a child who finally laughs; a parent who learns to comfort without fear; a classroom that starts to feel like a home again.
Building Hope Through Action
The need for mental health care in Lebanon remains immense. Our therapists often manage far more cases than expected, volunteering extra hours to make sure no child is left behind. Their commitment is what transforms despair into resilience.
Every contribution, no matter how small, directly fuels this work — helping us reach more children, provide consistent therapy, and ensure that healing continues long after the headlines fade.
Because while bombs destroy buildings, trauma can destroy futures.
And healing — real, lasting healing — requires time, compassion, and collective responsibility.
Why It Matters
At LIPPA, we stand by a simple truth: keeping children alive is not just about food and shelter. It’s about keeping their spirit alive — their ability to dream, to learn, and to feel safe again.
Every child who finds the courage to smile again is a testament to what compassion can achieve when it’s turned into action.
We cannot undo the pain these children have endured. But together, we can give them something just as powerful — the chance to heal, to hope, and to begin again.
