Caritas Lebanon Straining to Care for People Fleeing Bombardments
Vatican City, 25 July 2006 – Caritas Lebanon yesterday said the number of people it is helping in temporary shelters throughout the country has tripled to 70,000, and the organisation signalled that as those numbers continue to rise, it is becoming increasingly difficult to bring adequate care to those in need, as services and infrastructure come under enormous pressure.
“More than one Caritas team has indicated problems with water distribution, as the supply of water in certain centres is not sufficient for the increased need,” Caritas Lebanon said in a statement. “There is a risk of rapidly worsening sanitary conditions,” it continued.
There is also a simple lack of space.
“In each Caritas geographical sector, volunteers are trying to find new places where people can find some sort of refuge, even for small groups, as there is a severe lack of places to house people,” Caritas Lebanon said.
Over the weekend, populations from Lebanon’s border with Israel in the south continued a mass exodus northwards, to more secure regions or, like the displaced populations from the capital Beirut’s southern suburbs, sought refuge in safer neighborhoods of the city.
Caritas said that in the event of a ground invasion by Israeli forces into Lebanon, the numbers of people abandoning their homes who will be totally dependent on outside help will skyrocket.
Others, meanwhile, might want to flee but have no means of doing so safely. Bridges and roadways have been targeted especially but not only in the south, and larger trucks have also been coming under fire.
“Caritas Lebanon has had many appeals from people needing help to get out of their villages situated along the border with Israel which are now practically inaccessible,” the statement said.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, director of Caritas Lebanon George Khoury said that there is an urgent need not only to secure a safe humanitarian corridor to bring basic relief items from abroad, but he also underlined the need to protect humanitarian convoys as they travel within the country.
“Our food convoys and relief items are being subject to bombing and shelling,” Mr. Khoury said.
“We are no longer in a good position to convoy whatever relief items we have to make available to those displaced people in a safe and proper manner,” Mr. Khoury added.
Basic food and relief items could no longer be procured from within the country, as what little is left on the market can only be found at exorbitant prices, he explained.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.
Link Here
“More than one Caritas team has indicated problems with water distribution, as the supply of water in certain centres is not sufficient for the increased need,” Caritas Lebanon said in a statement. “There is a risk of rapidly worsening sanitary conditions,” it continued.
There is also a simple lack of space.
“In each Caritas geographical sector, volunteers are trying to find new places where people can find some sort of refuge, even for small groups, as there is a severe lack of places to house people,” Caritas Lebanon said.
Over the weekend, populations from Lebanon’s border with Israel in the south continued a mass exodus northwards, to more secure regions or, like the displaced populations from the capital Beirut’s southern suburbs, sought refuge in safer neighborhoods of the city.
Caritas said that in the event of a ground invasion by Israeli forces into Lebanon, the numbers of people abandoning their homes who will be totally dependent on outside help will skyrocket.
Others, meanwhile, might want to flee but have no means of doing so safely. Bridges and roadways have been targeted especially but not only in the south, and larger trucks have also been coming under fire.
“Caritas Lebanon has had many appeals from people needing help to get out of their villages situated along the border with Israel which are now practically inaccessible,” the statement said.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, director of Caritas Lebanon George Khoury said that there is an urgent need not only to secure a safe humanitarian corridor to bring basic relief items from abroad, but he also underlined the need to protect humanitarian convoys as they travel within the country.
“Our food convoys and relief items are being subject to bombing and shelling,” Mr. Khoury said.
“We are no longer in a good position to convoy whatever relief items we have to make available to those displaced people in a safe and proper manner,” Mr. Khoury added.
Basic food and relief items could no longer be procured from within the country, as what little is left on the market can only be found at exorbitant prices, he explained.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.
Link Here
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