UNICEF reports that one in five children in Lebanon goes to bed hungry, amid a humanitarian crisis driven by prolonged economic collapse and recent conflict.
Four in five households cannot afford basic necessities, according to the UN Children's Fund. The agency documented cases of children missing meals, dropping out of school and entering the workforce.
One father of four, cited by UNICEF on Wednesday, described the scale of deprivation. "I wanted to buy clothes for my children, but I could not. I also wanted to enrol them in school, but I could not afford that either," he said.
The crisis reflects years of economic deterioration compounded by armed conflict. UNICEF's assessment points to deepening hardship for Lebanon's youngest population, with hunger and lost educational opportunity as immediate consequences.