Around the mountains north of Beirut, schools have once again filled with mattresses, clothes, water containers and displaced families. In the first ten days of the latest escalation alone, around one million people were forced to leave their homes across Lebanon. Many had only recently returned after months of war before being forced to flee again. Homes repaired after the previous escalation were destroyed once more.
As ceasefire negotiations and the possibility of return shape this new phase of the crisis, going home remains impossible for many. Villages in southern Lebanon have been destroyed or remain unsafe. Roads are blocked, homes are damaged beyond repair, and some areas remain inaccessible.
Children who had already lost months of schooling, their daily routines and their sense of stability are once again facing displacement and the interruption of their education. For many families, the possibility of returning to a stable life remains far away.
The bombardments affected Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, many with no time to take anything with them.
After weeks marked by fear, uncertainty and displacement, children living in collective shelters need spaces where they can return to being children. For many of them, a school transformed into a shelter has become a temporary place of care and protection after being forced to leave their homes.
In the centres, AVSI organises activities for children to offer opportunities for play, social interaction and learning in a protected environment. The aim is to reduce the impact of displacement on children's well-being and create safe spaces where they can continue to play, learn and feel welcomed.
Educators and specialised staff lead recreational, creative and educational activities that help children maintain a daily routine, build relationships with their peers and express the emotions and experiences connected to displacement.
Across Lebanon, villages remain empty, schools remain closed, and families continue living in shelters. Children who had already lost months of schooling, routine, and stability are now living through the same rupture again. And even where the fighting pauses, displacement continues: for many families, the place they are supposed to return to no longer exists.