Of all the misfortunes that have plagued Lebanon over the past two years, perhaps none have as long term an impact or are as consequential as the severity of the damage inflicted on the country’s children.
A simple glance at the concerning numbers should be enough to awaken politicians and officials, both here and abroad, to the gravity of the hardships Lebanon’s children are facing. According to UNICEF, more than 30 percent of children are underfed, skipping meals and frequently going to bed hungry. Nearly 80 percent of households lack the means to secure sufficient food. Three-fifths of the population has to resort to borrowing to even purchase food. Health care, meanwhile, has become beyond reach except for the most affluent. Even medical insurance coverage has become a mockery, with hospitals refusing to treat any but the most critical cases, and in the process impacting children’s health and lives more so than any anyone else’s. And the gravest of all calamities is the harm being wrought on education as the devaluation of the local currency has priced a significant portion of the country’s children out of a decent education, and even forced many families to put these youngsters to work just to survive instead of sending them to school to prepare for their future.
This is not a climate that is even close to conducive to preparing this generation of children to steer Lebanon toward a brighter future. Yes, at some point the currency may recover a modicum of stability, the economy may crawl back toward sustainability, and incomes may rise, but when a child’s education and health are compromised, that’s a tragedy from which they will likely never recover. Lest we forget, these children are the country’s only realistic hope for the future. It is these kids who, once they reach adulthood and are armed with a robust education, will build the economy of the future, assume roles of leadership and raise Lebanon out of the morass. As things stand now, that hope is fast fading, and we encourage all of Lebanon’s leaders to set aside their petty differences and feuds and instead think of the children. As for the international community, with children’s lives and futures at stake, the onus is on you to step up and act instead of making any assistance contingent on political considerations. To save the country, we must save the children, because without them Lebanon will be nothing more than a very dilapidated and bankrupt convalescent home for a terminally ill population.