Since 2019, Lebanon’s currency has lost more than 90% of its value. The country’s economic meltdown — one of the world’s worst since the 1850s — has pushed an estimated four million families into poverty in the last two years.

Since 2019, Lebanon’s currency has lost more than 90% of its value. The country’s economic meltdown — one of the world’s worst since the 1850s — has pushed an estimated four million families into poverty in the last two years.

The situation in Lebanon is rapidly spiraling out of control as the country deals with multiple crises without any sign of relief. As the Lebanese pound continues to plummet in value, the price of food, fuel, and medicine is increasing at an alarming rate. A single tank of gas for a small car now costs more than an entire monthly salary on minimum wage.

Within the complex and multi-faceted geopolitical environment across the Middle East, Lebanon, despite its relatively small size and population, faces its own complex interconnected web of systems-level challenges, particularly from October 2019 into early 2020.

In Lebanon, we are a team of over 100 —with a majority of whom are national — who all share the belief that communities are the best agents of their change. The challenges we set out to tackle are complex, but we are driven by the strength and resilience of the community leaders, youth, and entrepreneurs who are determined to create a brighter future.

Mercy Corps, through its diverse programs, is committed to alleviating suffering and helping communities work towards improving living conditions. This Mercy Corps Lebanon four-year strategy (2019-2022) aims at strengthening stability and resilience, empowering women and youth (especially girls), promoting the evolution of good governance, and supporting a favorable entrepreneurship environment to facilitate growth, at the same time as generating evidence and learning to support advocacy and influence initiatives.

Our team is present in the North, in the South and in the Bekaa and works every day to empower women and youth, to support small business owners who want grow their enterprises and create employment, to assist farmers who want to produce more and contribute to Lebanon’s food security….”

At global level, Mercy Corps is a team of nearly 6,000 humanitarians, working together in over 40 countries on the front lines of today’s biggest crises to create a future where everyone can prosper.

For more information about Mercy Corps Global

Featured stories