As violence escalates across Lebanon, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. Many families are now living in collective shelters with limited access to food, cooking facilities or basic services.
With support from Irish Aid, World Vision Ireland, working with World Vision Lebanon, is delivering emergency food assistance to internally displaced families in North and Mount Lebanon, helping people meet their most immediate needs during this acute phase of the crisis.
The situation
Since early March 2026, renewed hostilities have triggered widespread displacement across Lebanon. More than 830,000 people are now internally displaced, with shelters in Beirut and Mount Lebanon operating at or near capacity. As a result, families are increasingly being directed towards northern governorates, where needs are rising rapidly.
Many displaced families are relying almost entirely on humanitarian assistance to meet their daily food needs. In collective shelters, cooking facilities are often unavailable or overstretched, leaving people dependent on hot meal distributions or ready‑to‑eat food. This escalation is unfolding against the backdrop of Lebanon’s prolonged economic crisis, which had already left many households facing serious food insecurity.
Our response
Through this Irish Aid–funded project, World Vision is responding to urgent food needs among displaced families living in collective shelters in Mount Lebanon and North Lebanon.
Over a three‑month period, the project will reach nearly 7,000 internally displaced people, including women, men, children, and people with disabilities. The response combines the provision of hot, nutritious meals with ready‑to‑eat food kits for families who do not have access to cooking facilities.
Hot meals will be prepared and distributed through carefully vetted local community kitchens, allowing families to access safe, culturally appropriate food while also supporting local systems. Alongside this, ready‑to‑eat food kits will be distributed to households in shelters where hot meal delivery is not feasible, ensuring continuity of food assistance during the emergency.
Priority is given to the most vulnerable households, including female‑headed families, pregnant and lactating women, older people, and people with disabilities.
What this project will deliver
During the implementation period, World Vision Lebanon will support the preparation and distribution of approximately 180,000 hot meals for displaced families living in collective shelters. In addition, 240 households will receive ready‑to‑eat food kits designed to meet a family’s food needs for up to seven days.
By combining these two approaches, the project aims to ensure that displaced families are able to maintain adequate food consumption, reduce negative coping strategies, and retain dignity during an extremely challenging period.
Where we are working
The response focuses on Mount Lebanon and North Lebanon, two areas hosting large numbers of internally displaced people.
In Mount Lebanon, almost a third of all displaced people in collective shelters are currently located, while North Lebanon continues to receive new arrivals as families flee areas affected by airstrikes and evacuation orders. All shelter selection and targeting is coordinated closely with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Food Security and Agriculture Sector, ensuring assistance is delivered fairly and without duplication.
Accountability, protection, and inclusion
World Vision’s response is guided by humanitarian principles and Sphere standards. Strong safeguards are in place to ensure assistance is delivered safely and with dignity.
Distributions are organised to reduce overcrowding and protection risks, with female staff present where possible. Information is shared clearly with communities about what assistance is available and when, and displaced people are encouraged to provide feedback through community focal points, in‑person visits, and World Vision Lebanon’s helpline. This feedback is used to adapt the response as conditions change.
The project also takes a conflict‑sensitive approach, maintaining close coordination with government authorities, sector partners and local actors throughout implementation.
Project timeline and funding
This project is funded by Irish Aid and implemented by World Vision Lebanon, in coordination with national and local authorities and humanitarian partners.
This emergency response runs from 23 March to 22 June 2026 and has a total budget of €150,000, fully funded by Irish Aid through the ICSP Acute Crisis Stream.
How you can help
World Vision continues to respond to humanitarian crises around the world as needs arise. Donations to our Childhood Rescue Programme help us act quickly when children and families are most at risk.