Lebanon

Lebanon

The Polish Center for International Aid Foundation has been continuously implementing aid projects in Lebanon since 2012. Right on the border with Syria, it runs the largest humanitarian aid program implemented by a Polish NGO. As the only Polish NGO registered in Lebanon, it has been helping victims of the war in Syria since the beginning of the crisis, as well as Lebanese families affected by the worst economic crisis in decades.

Aid for refugees from Syria

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the population of many Lebanese villages near the northern border with Syria has doubled. According to UNHCR data, one in six people in Lebanon is a refugee – no other country in the world has so many refugees relative to its population. The Lebanese government estimates that some 1.5 million Syrians have fled to the country because of the war (according to UNHCR’s 2020 data, more than 879,000 Syrian refugees are registered in Lebanon). The refugees, who were supposed to be temporary visitors, have become part of Lebanese society. A new generation has been born in exile, growing up in difficult conditions and having never seen their homeland. The PCPM Foundation has been supporting the refugees almost since the beginning of the crisis – providing a roof over their heads and humanitarian aid.

Response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the explosion at the port of Beirut

In 2020 in Lebanon, PCPM led humanitarian and development projects aimed at improving the living conditions of the people of the country, which is in economic crisis. Thousands of families received safe shelter. Thanks to a mobile clinic, refugees have gained access to free health care. PCPM is registered in Lebanon, with an office in Beirut and local staff. After the tragic explosion at the port, we were able to immediately spring into action and provide humanitarian and rescue aid. The collection supported by the Polish public and cooperation with CERF – UN-Habitat made it possible to repair the buildings damaged by the explosion and thus restore the roof over the heads of the families affected by the blast (Emergency Cash for Rent).

The PCPM Emergency Medical Team’s rapid response to the increasing number of Covid-19 infections in Lebanon was made possible by the Prime Minister’s Office funding the Team’s month-long mission to Lebanese hospitals. Support from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it possible to organize a segregation zone and respirator at a hospital in Kubayat and purchase personal protective equipment for medical facilities. Cooperation with Taiwan ICDF enabled the purchase of personal protective equipment for Lebanese health care.

Preparing for winter

In northern Lebanon, winter temperatures drop below 0 degrees Celsius. The Foundation has been working there for years, supporting Syrian families – securing tents, providing essential humanitarian aid.

A safe place and medical assistance

In 2020-2021, the Foundation provided refugee families with a safe roof over their heads. Most of them (about 80 percent) rent an apartment, garage or basement. Life in Lebanon, including rent and food, is very expensive, and the money saved before the war quickly ran out. In order to save Lebanese and Syrian families from eviction due to rent debts, the PCPM Foundation (under its Cash for rent program) pays the cost of renting apartments.

For years, the PCPM Foundation has provided refugees and the most vulnerable Lebanese with access to free medical services in the northern Akkar region. Together with a partner organization, we operated a clinic in the town of Bire, where general practitioners and specialists are admitted. A mobile clinic also provided medical assistance to residents of informal tent camps.

Humanitarian aid

The internal situation in Lebanon continues to deteriorate, and needs continue to grow. The country’s current economic crisis is one of the most severe in the world in the past century. The poverty rate in this formerly wealthy country now stands at 85 percent. Lebanon is struggling with a refugee crisis, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and cholera.

As part of UN-coordinated humanitarian assistance, PCPM launched a pilot food support program in 2023 providing essential assistance to the most vulnerable families and individuals from Syria and Lebanon. The assistance was preceded by a needs assessment process and a comprehensive distribution strategy. In addition to products with a long shelf life, residents also received fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat purchased from local suppliers for three months. This in turn had a positive impact on the local economy. In the first half of the year, the project was funded by the Polish Aid program of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. UN OCHA funded another food aid project including meat and dairy.

Support for agricultural cooperatives and environmental protection

Agriculture and agri-food processing are sectors with a big potential of generating income for both the Lebanese and refugee communities in the Akkar, and other rural regions. Supported through the subnational governments, cooperatives can make an important contribution in region economic diversification and growth.


Cooperatives are an intermediary entity between the communities and the subnational governments and can contribute to improving the resilience of host and refugee communities, promoting sustainable agriculture, creating business opportunities, while providing vulnerable groups with access to income and jobs. In Lebanon, the PCPM Foundation supports agricultural cooperatives in three Lebanese regions (Akkar, Bekka, Mount Lebanon) by training employees of processing cooperatives and farmers, and by strengthening the export of Lebanese food products to European Union countries. We equipped cooperatives with food processing equipment, which improves production and professionalizes its process. PCPM also works on improving production and marketing to increase the value of agricultural production and farmers’ income. Agriculture and agri-food processing in Akkar are the sources of income for the Lebanese community and Syrian refugees.

With the support from local governments, agricultural and processing cooperatives are able to strengthen the local economy. By supporting cooperatives, we promote sustainable agriculture, create new business opportunities and provide employment. Our activities in Lebanon are also focused on environmental protection by reducing pollution of rivers flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, and the use of renewable energy. PCPM has installed 30 solar streetlights in Andaket. In the town of Qubayat, near the Lebanese-Syrian border, we have extended the sewage treatment plant, increasing its capacity in the discharge and neutralization of pollutants by more than half. In Aidamoun, we have built a retaining wall to reduce the erosion of farmland. During the construction, we hired Syrian refugees and the most needy Lebanese. Thanks to that they obtained additional income. We also focused on forest fire protection and improvement of crisis management by training representatives of subnational governments and firefighters.