Lebanon

Snapshot*
Population – 4 million
Internally displaced persons – 217,000
Refugees – 405,000 (Palestine), 60,000 (Iraq)
Life expectancy –73 years old
Median age – 29 years old
Infant mortality rate – 23 deaths for every 1,000 live births
Fertility rate – 1.9 children per woman
HIV/AIDS rate – 0.1 percent
Literacy rate – 87 percent

Life in Lebanon
While Lebanon has secured a high standard of living and development, its complex political history continues to be marked by periodic violence. Civil conflict and armed confrontation with Israel eroded Lebanon’s economic and social infrastructure. Its health care system is primarily privatized and 40 percent of its population – particularly the rural, poor, and elderly – do not have any form of medical insurance. Recent violence with Israel left more than 1,000 Lebanese dead and forced as many as one million from their homes in search of safety.

Helping Communities Help Themselves
Bringing Relief
As Lebanon shifts toward post-conflict recovery, International Medical Corps (IMC) is transitioning its programs to address the country’s development needs. IMC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Iraqi embassy in Beirut to work together in support of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon. Its efforts in Lebanon, targeting both vulnerable communities and Iraqi refugees, include the following services:

• Primary health care
• Maternal and child care
• Expanded immunization
• Mental health and psychosocial support
• Economic livelihoods training

International Medical Corps makes health care available to Iraqi refugees and host communities through a network of health clinics and mobile health teams. Its medical outreach brings a variety of health services, from safe deliveries, to eye care.

International Medical Corps is also working with a local NGO, Secours Populaire Libanais, to rehabilitate community-based development centers and conduct vocational training and recreational activities.

Enabling Self-Reliance
To make Lebanon’s recovery sustainable, International Medical Corps trains locals to serve the following roles in its programs:

• Health care workers able to provide primary health care through IMC-supported health posts, mobile clinics, and health centers

In addition to employing locals in its programs, International Medical Corps also provides continuing education to health care practitioners, teachers, and other Lebanese professionals.

You Can Help Build Change That Lasts
Lebanon continues to face internal and external conflicts that hinder its development and the safety of its citizens. Working alongside Lebanese and Iraqi refugees, International Medical Corps is working to make repair and reconstruction possible in this volatile region. Your support will help bring more life-saving treatments, safe schools for children, and other critical programs for Lebanon’s most isolated and vulnerable. Click here to help Lebanon and other IMC programs worldwide.

 

*Statistics from U.S. Government