Support Step Together’s Community Crisis Intervention Program in Lebanon
Our colleagues at Step Together in Beirut are providing emergency relief to children and families displaced by the current war. Here is what they have shared with us. Please support their “Together We Respond” campaign!
As the crisis continues to unfold in Lebanon, communities are once again facing fear, displacement, and uncertainty. According to recent United Nations reports, more than 700,000 people have been displaced, including an estimated 200,000 children, forcing families to flee their homes and seek refuge wherever possible. Schools are being transformed into shelter spaces, and children are living through instability during moments that should be filled with safety and learning.
At Step Together, we are witnessing this impact directly within our own community. Many families connected to our programs, including teachers, parents, and relatives of students, have been displaced. Public schools nearby have opened their doors to displaced families, and children arriving in these spaces often show visible signs of distress, fear, and instability. In a society that has already endured years of collective trauma, the psychological toll on children is deeply concerning.
From our center in Mansourieh we can sometimes hear distant airstrikes. Some of our students now ask whether loud sounds outside mean another strike. These moments remind us how deeply fear and uncertainty are shaping their sense of safety.
Despite these challenges, Step Together has already begun responding. Since the start of the crisis, Step Together has delivered emergency food assistance and psychosocial support across several locations. Our teams have provided 1,000+ meals to displaced families in need, supported 100+ children through emergency pedagogy in five schools, and reached 200+ families in affected communities. Within Step Together, 130 students and 80 staff members are receiving ongoing psychosocial support to help them cope with the emotional impact of the crisis.
"Together We Respond” is Step Together’s emergency relief campaign supporting children and families affected by the current ongoing crisis and displacement in Lebanon. The initiative combines emergency food assistance with trauma-sensitive emergency pedagogy and psychosocial support interventions delivered in public shelters, schools, and at the Step Together center.
Through Step Together's own fundraising efforts the distribution of food packages where urgent humanitarian needs are identified, helps families meet their most immediate basic needs during displacement. At the same time, our own certified and trained emergency pedagogy teams provide structured psychosocial activities that help children and their families cope with stress, process traumatic experiences, and regain a sense of safety, stability, and emotional balance during this difficult period.
By addressing both basic survival needs and emotional wellbeing, the campaign aims to protect vulnerable children and support families as they navigate the uncertainty and disruption caused by the crisis.
Donations can be made online here, via the Friends of Waldorf Education in Germany, or via the Fonds für Heilpädagogik und Sozialtherapie Dornach in Switzerland (Purpose: Step Together Lebanon).
