CIVICUS discusses the crisis in Lebanon with Zaher Sahloul, co-founder of MedGlobal, a US-based civil society organisation (CSO) that provides relief to victims of war, disaster and displacement, and supports excluded communities worldwide.

The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon has escalated significantly due to Israeli airstrikes, with the growing number of internally displaced people further straining an already fragile social services system. The health system is struggling to protect its facilities and staff in conflict zones, deal with trauma and provide essential services to displaced people. Alongside the domestic civil society response, an influx of external support, including from civil society, is proving essential to contain the crisis.

What’s the humanitarian situation in Lebanon?

Displacement caused by the ongoing hostilities in the south has created a huge need for support services, putting further strain on systems already strained by displacement from other conflicts and economic failure. Hyperinflation and the collapse of the banking sector have forced many skilled health workers to leave Lebanon, further exacerbating the situation.

Lebanon has long hosted a large refugee population, including 1.5 million Syrians displaced by the civil war and many Palestinian refugees who fled in 1948 and 1967. The explosion at Beirut’s port in 2020 compounded these challenges, resulting in numerous injuries and psychological trauma, and prompting even more health workers to leave Lebanon. The COVID-19 pandemic further weakened an already fragile health system.

With a population of only five million, Lebanon is now struggling to cope with 1.2 million people displaced within its borders. Political instability is exacerbating the crisis. Just recently, the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, but as shelters were at capacity, tens of thousands of people had nowhere to go. Even northern Lebanon, an area far from the conflict, is overwhelmed, with schools and other shelters full. The humanitarian emergency is escalating as local communities struggle to support the displaced, facing shortages of shelter, food and medical care.

How is MedGlobal working to improve the situation?

We’ve been in Lebanon since 2017, building an extensive network of local partners and working closely with the Ministry of Health and local governments. We’ve strengthened the health system by training doctors and nurses, sending medical missions for surgical procedures and addressing health needs, particularly for refugees and their host communities. We are providing transport for injured people, supplying hospitals with medical equipment and supplies and sending emergency teams to hospitals in southern Lebanon to deal with mass casualties.

We also provide primary healthcare to Syrian and Palestinian refugees in the Bekaa Valley and northern Lebanon. We run mobile clinics providing chronic medication and mental health support, particularly for older people. In response to this new crisis, we have stepped up our efforts by forming a coalition of CSOs to work together to fill gaps in care. Our initial focus has been on shelters, providing food, medicine, clothing, toiletries and other essentials to displaced people.

How do you work with local communities?

Our priorities align directly with those of the local community, and we work in coordination with local health authorities, civil society and the Ministry of Health. For example, after the Beirut port explosion, access to clinics and hospitals was disrupted and the ministry prioritised medicines for chronic diseases. We responded by prioritising this need but also providing mental health services, particularly for older people.

Today, we use our established network of local partners and the newly formed civil society coalition to ensure that our services complement each other and avoid duplication. This close coordination allows us to share resources effectively and intervene to improve access to healthcare and direct humanitarian aid where it is most needed. We are also committed to providing long-term, sustainable programmes in partnership with local communities, not just temporary assistance.

Where else do you work and what challenges do you face?

We have worked in 26 countries over the past seven years and currently have active teams in a further 10 countries, coordinating with health clusters, United Nations agencies, CSOs and local health authorities.

In Bangladesh, we support Rohingya refugees with primary healthcare, antenatal care and climate crisis response. In Yemen, we manage hospitals, run training programmes and run clinics in partnership with the Ministry of Health. In Sudan, we are responding to the humanitarian crisis with health and nutrition programmes in partnership with local civil society. In Gaza, we serve around 5,000 patients a day through 19 clinics, and in Syria our programmes reach 40,000 patients a month. In Ukraine, we were one of the first CSOs to respond, providing trauma care and mass casualty response training. We also support Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico.

In all these regions, we face logistical challenges, but in conflict zones such as Gaza and Syria, we also face attacks on health facilities. In Lebanon, 55 hospitals have been attacked and more than 150 medical staff have been affected, further complicating humanitarian efforts.

How can people support MedGlobal’s mission or get involved in its work?

Each of our programmes – whether it’s a mobile clinic, training doctors or providing life-saving medical technology – depends on funding. But access to funding is a challenge for newer organisations like ours. The grant application process, particularly for US funding, is complex and resource-intensive, and often favours larger, more established organisations. We encourage funders to consider supporting smaller organisations that work closely with local communities and have a deep understanding of their needs. We ensure that 92 per cent of donations go directly to our programmes, focusing on sustainability, training and creating a long-term impact in local communities.

Donations are vital, as is raising awareness of our mission. We are still a relatively new organisation and it is important that people know about our work.

Volunteering is another powerful way to support our mission. We run resilience-building medical missions where doctors, nurses and mental health professionals can volunteer in disaster-stricken areas.