Despite being displaced by Israeli bombardments, more than 2,500 people sheltering in Azarieh find space to gather for food and comfort.
Workers distribute food at the Al Azarieh shelter, which houses 2,500 people displaced by the recent escalation of conflict | Lebanon 2024 © Tracy Makhlouf/MSF
As the war in Lebanon casts a shadow of devastation for millions of people across the country, community-led initiatives and local efforts are testament to the spirit of solidarity and hope surviving in Lebanese society.
In the heart of Beirut, one such initiative is providing a lifeline for people housed in the Azarieh building—once a bustling commercial center, it now shelters more than 2,500 people who have been displaced by Israeli bombardments and incursions.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting the implementation of a kitchen project launched by local NGO, Ahla Fawda and the restaurant, Barzakh, which is providing free meals for people in Azarieh.
“We started from scratch,” explains Khodor Al Akhdar, Barzakh’s operational manager. “Since the beginning of the war and the influx of displaced people, we have worked closely with Ahla Fawda to provide food. This project aims not only to provide meals but to also supply ingredients, while training the people living here in Azarieh to prepare and cook meals themselves, with a focus on food safety and hygiene.”
To kick-start the kitchen project, the MSF logistics team transformed a previously vacant space in Azarieh into a fully operational kitchen, while Ahla Fawda and Barzakh equipped the facility to meet hygiene and safety standards, training local residents to prepare the meals themselves using the free ingredients provided. The kitchen now serves around 2,500 meals daily.
“Since the beginning of the war, community-led initiatives have been impressive in Lebanon,” says Elena Fernandez Tajadura, MSF’s emergency logistics coordinator. “Encouraging these efforts fosters connections and a collaborative atmosphere that is much needed, and ensures sustainable responses [to the war].”
Lebanon has faced a series of crises in recent years, including the devastating Beirut port blast in August 2020 and one of the world’s most devastating economic collapses. Israel’s recent escalation of attacks in the country has displaced over a million people since October 2023, leaving many in precarious living conditions. These prolonged crises have pushed the entire population to the brink.
Initiatives such as the kitchen project in Azarieh represent practical methods of community-based care and survival for people, and offer a sense of hope and warmth.
“I am proud to be part of this kitchen,” shares Aziza, who was displaced from south Beirut and is now a resident of the Azarieh shelter. “Many people here have lost their jobs because of the war or have spent their last cents on essential needs over the past months. They have no money left to survive. When I learned [the kitchen] needed an extra hand, I volunteered. Together, we’re doing what we can to navigate this situation. Hopefully, if God wills it, this situation will soon end and things will improve.”
Lebanon hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees, 400,000 Palestinians, and over 160,000 migrant workers, many of whom live in precarious conditions. MSF teams assist the most vulnerable communities by providing reproductive, maternal, and pediatric care, as well as mental health support, treatment for chronic diseases, and routine vaccinations for children at our clinics across the country.
MSF has also supported other community-led initiatives, with a focus on food provision, across Lebanon, including in Saida and Tyre in the south of the country. Since the escalation of Israeli bombardments on September 23 MSF has provided a total of 7,432 meals, 7,342 blankets, 6,050 mattresses, 21,000 gallons of drinking water, 8,013 hygiene kits, and 1.8 million gallons of water for shelters across Lebanon.
Learn how intensified fighting, airstrikes, and bombardment by Israeli forces are impacting people in Lebanon, where an already-overburdened health system is struggling to respond.
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