“The situation here remains very unstable. Just when we think peace has finally returned, something happens that fuels tensions. It doesn’t look good. But we remain hopeful,” reported Penelope Boujaoude of the Lebanese aid organization Flamme de Charité (Flame of Charity) in an email on July 23, 2026.

Since Hezbollah entered into Iran’s war with the US, Israel, and several Arab states, Lebanon has not found peace. Although a ceasefire agreement was reached in mid-April, it has remained fragile in Lebanon. Since the outbreak of the war, Flamme de Charité has continued its work tirelessly. Boujaoude, a 30-year-old Lebanese Christian from Beirut, and her team have been supporting more than 200 Christian families with grants for housing, medicine, education, as well as vouchers for everyday needs and donations in kind since the founding of their organization in 2020.

“We’re carrying on as best we can,” writes Boujaoude. In a video posted on her social media channels, she reports:

“We were able to make the home of the children Rosaline, Rose-Mary, and Robert habitable. It lacked many things that we take for granted. We procured or repaired everything necessary, including the kitchen sink and even the bathroom sink.”

International Society for Human Rights’ consultant Michaela Koller knows the family, having visited them in Beirut in February, and recalls the strong smell of mould in the apartment.

“Now we’ve eliminated the severe damp problems and the mould infestation on the walls,” reports Boujaoude.

Although the apartments of many people in need are in a deplorable state, rents have risen significantly. At the same time, many people have become unemployed because some companies ceased operations due to the war and have not resumed. The hardship has thus increased even further.

Many Christians have already emigrated under pressure, and those who remain rightly fear being caught in the crossfire of the Middle East conflict. Yet many of them play a vital role as bridge-builders through their commitment to peace and humanity. The Lebanese leadership, particularly the Christian President Joseph Khalil Aoun, takes a clear stance against the terrorist group Hezbollah in the country, insists on upholding the state’s monopoly on the use of force, and demands disengagement from the Iranian mullah dictatorship.

Boujaoude now reports to the ISHR about the families struggling to survive, saying that many of them are deeply worried about their children’s future.

“They can barely afford food anymore, and for many of them, the registration fees for the upcoming school year are simply unaffordable,” she describes the situation of those affected.

Rosaline and Rose-Mary’s parents were already overwhelmed by the task of securing their livelihood. Flamme de Charité worked to ensure they could even start school. Penelope Boujaoude knows around 50 children in similarly difficult situations and therefore turned to the IGFM for help. Just 100 Euro secures school attendance for a year. The ISHR intends to support Flamme de Charité with 5,000 Euro, contributing to its efforts to secure access to education for children in particularly difficult circumstances.

Rosaline and Rose-Mary are happy to receive support from their parents © FdC