The situation in the Middle East
Not one, but multiple overlapping crises are affecting the Middle East, putting millions of people to the test. Famine, conflict, and forced migration have made chronic the'food insecurity.
In Gaza, 85 percent of the population struggles to feed itself; in Iraq, 40 percent of arable land is threatened by desertification.
Political instability has made the Middle East the macro-region with the highest number of displaced people in the world.. For example, Lebanon is home to more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees, despite its collapsing economy; in Palestine, on the other hand, 1.7 million people have lost their homes.
In addition to the basic rights to nutrition and housing, the right to education has also been sidelined. In Lebanon, many schools have closed, leaving 30 percent of school-age refugees uneducated. In Iraq, on the other hand, a lack of teachers and funding makes access to schooling even more difficult.
People with disabilities remain on the margins: less than 2 percent of children attend school in Jordan, while in Palestine and Lebanon the lack of adequate infrastructure condemns many to isolation.
Without action on food security, education and social inclusion, the Middle East risks being trapped in a permanent crisis, condemning millions of people to a future of precariousness.
The John Paul II Foundation does not leave these communities alone: it remains in their territories, bringing immediate support but above all hope for a decent future.