Implemented by Connect Children Now
July 2024 – November 26
Lebanon has faced multi-dimensional crises due to repeated escalations in hostilities and continued Israeli airstrikes, which drastically intensified in late September 2024, killing thousands and displacing more than one million people. Civilians, including children, bore the brunt of the conflict as damaged infrastructure, disrupted access to essential services, and increasing humanitarian needs worsened. Schools were widely affected – many forced to close or repurposed as shelters – further destabilizing children’s lives and compounding trauma, anxiety, and loss of routine.
In response to this context, Connect Children Now (CCN), in partnership with the Peace of Mind Foundation, launched the project Enhancing Psychosocial Support for Displaced and Refugee Children in Lebanon. The first phase of the project, implemented between June 2024 and June 2025, has now been successfully completed, delivering critical mental health and psychosocial support services to children and families affected by conflict and displacement.
During this initial phase, the project provided structured psychosocial support to more than 1,800 children across six centers in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Through play-based and creative approaches, children were supported in processing trauma, rebuilding confidence, and strengthening emotional resilience. At the same time, caregivers were engaged through awareness sessions that helped them better support their children, fostering more stable and nurturing home environments despite ongoing uncertainty.
A key component of the initiative was capacity building, strengthening the ability of local facilitators and frontline workers to deliver psychosocial support in a consistent and culturally relevant way. This investment in local expertise has been essential to ensuring continuity of care, particularly in a context marked by instability and rapid change.
Despite ongoing insecurity, the project demonstrated strong adaptability. Activities continued during periods of escalation by shifting to collective shelters and were later resumed in community centers after minimal rehabilitation. This flexibility ensured that children could continue accessing safe, supportive spaces even in the most challenging moments.
While Phase 1 has concluded, the humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains challenging. Continued displacement, economic instability, and exposure to violence are driving urgent and growing mental health needs among children and families. In response, CCN and the Peace of Mind Foundation have launched a new phase of the project, building on the achievements and lessons learned to expand reach, strengthen services, and ensure that vulnerable children continue to receive the support they need.
Through these ongoing efforts, the initiative not only addresses immediate psychological distress but also contributes to longer-term resilience, helping children and communities regain a sense of safety, stability, and hope amid continued uncertainty.