Are you under 18? Here’s a page where you can find some answers to questions you might have about your stay in Lebanon.
⚠️Have you been affected by the current situation?⚠️
I’m afraid about what is happening in Lebanon. What is important for me to know?
✏️Keep your documents safe: It is very important to keep any identity documents (like an ID card or passport) in a safe place. Try to make copies of them if you can. Do not let someone take your documents away, even if they are offering to help you find housing or transportation.
✏️Help is free to all people: Nobody is allowed to make you work or ask for any favor (things or money) or anything that makes you uncomfortable in exchange for help. If anyone does this, you can report them to the police or UNHCR and ask for help.
✏️Ask adults you trust to help keep you safe: If a stranger offers to take you away from your family to give you something, say ‘no’ and tell an adult you trust. Never agree to meet a stranger without first talking to an adult you trust. If you are in a situation that makes you uncomfortable or unsafe, tell someone you trust and ask for help.
💞REMEMBER: If something like this happens, it is not your fault, and you are not to blame.
Can I contact UNHCR?
Yes, you can! If you need information or support from UNHCR, there are many ways to reach out!
💜Outreach Volunteers are individuals from your community who share information between you and UNHCR. There are also Education Community Liaisons who volunteer in public schools. You can talk to any of these volunteers for help and information.
🩷You can visit community centers closest to where you live. You can speak to someone who works there, who can answer your questions.
🩵You can also contact us through the online contact form or the UNHCR National Call Center hotline📞04726111 (Monday to Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM). It’s a good idea to discuss this with your parents or a trusted adult first, but you can also contact us on your own.
When you reach out, please tell us your name, age, and your phone number or email address so we can get in touch with you. If your parents are in Lebanon with you, including their names will be helpful. If you are not with your parents, please let us know that as well.
🟣Find out more about how to contact UNHCR in Lebanon.
🟡Here’s a list of all partner-run community centers in Lebanon.
I’ve been separated from my family. Who can I contact for help?
If you are a child and you find yourself alone without your family members, or if you come in contact with a child alone who wants to reunite with their family, call:
My parents or other family members are living in another country. Can UNHCR help me to join them there?
Different countries all have different rules to help families get back together. Your parents or your relatives in those countries should contact the governments where they are to start the process. You can find out more by looking at the Family Reunification Page and you can send the link to that page to your parents or relatives.
If you are alone in Lebanon, please let us know so that one of the child protection organizations can reach out to you to see how we can support you.
🟠Click here to visit the family Reunification page.
I am not going to school right now, but I would like to. How can I get help to go to school?
All children have the right to education, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless children. If you would like to go to school or if you need any information about education opportunities where you live, there are several ways to learn more.
🖍️You can find information on this website’s education page.
🖍️You can talk to Outreach Volunteers and Education Community Liaisons in your community who volunteer in afternoon schools.
🖍️You can visit community centers closest to where you live. You can speak to someone who works there who can answer your questions.
🖍️You can also approach an NGO partner working on education.
🔵Click here to visit the education page.
🟠Here’s a list of all partner-run community centers in Lebanon.
Someone has hurt me, or I am afraid that they will. What should I do?
No one has the right to abuse, neglect, or mistreat you or any child – not even parents, relatives, or teachers. If someone has hurt you or touched you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, or if you are afraid that someone will, there are organizations that can help you. If you contact UNHCR through any of the ways mentioned above, we will do our best to help you. You can also call any organization working close to where you live.
🟡Find out more about how to contact UNHCR in Lebanon.
🟣Find out which organizations work close to where you live and their contact information.
What can I do if I feel sick or need medical help?
If you or anyone close to you are sick or need medical help and would like to see a doctor, you can visit a primary healthcare center closest to where you live.
🟠Find the list of primary healthcare centers here.
Before visiting a hospital, you will need to visit a doctor at the primary healthcare center first. If additional care at the hospital is needed, the doctor at the primary healthcare center would help you take the next steps.
If there is an emergency and you need to visit a hospital, you can immediately contact NEXtCARE at 📞01504020 (available 24/7). NEXtCARE will direct you to the nearest UNHCR contracted hospital.
I feel sad, angry, worried, scared, or confused. Is this normal?
It is normal to feel upset after what you have been through. It may be hard to stop thinking about what you saw or experienced. You may be separated from people you love and worried about them or about what will happen next. You may feel like nothing is familiar. Here are some simple things that may help you cope with this difficult situation:
🟦Try to keep a routine. Go to sleep and wake up at the same times each day
🟨Try to eat regular healthy meals
🟪Spend time with your family and friends, and do things you all enjoy
🟫Move your body: walk or exercise if you can
🟥Keep in contact with family and friends. If you cannot contact them now, write letters
🟩Help others in your community
⬛Take breaks from news and avoid upsetting photos or videos
If you feel angry or overwhelmed:
🔸Take a break and focus on breathing slowly for a few minutes
🔸Look for quiet or interesting things around you, like the sky, a tree, or bird sounds
🔸Talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling
🔸Ask for help from a psychologist, counselor, or doctor – many are available for free