✉️ A letter from Lebanon – what James Elder is seeing right now

Dear -,

My name is James Elder, I am UNICEF’s Global Spokesperson.  

For more than 20 years, I’ve met thousands of families who have endured some of the world’s most brutal crises, in places like Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. But during that time, I have never seen a more dangerous time for children than it is right now. 

I’m writing to you from Lebanon, where children and families are once again living under the daily threat of violent conflict. What I’m seeing on the ground right now makes it clear why acting before 30 June matters more than ever.

Despite the ceasefire, life remains incredibly bleak for children here. Many have witnessed things no child should ever have to – the deaths of loved ones and the destruction of their homes, schools, and communities. More than 390,000 children have been displaced. They can’t go home. They can’t go to school. Their entire sense of safety has been torn away. The trauma these children are carrying will last a lifetime – and it’s only during moments like this ceasefire that we have a chance to begin helping them heal. 

I have met too many children who have lost family members. One of them is seven‑year‑old Karim, who lost his entire immediate family in an airstrike – his mother, his father and his brother, all in an instant. I walked through the rubble of their home, seeing schoolbooks and toys scattered among the debris. Karim is now in the care of extended family, but the emptiness in his eyes tells a story no words can fully capture. This kind of loss would devastate anyone. For a child so young, it is unbearable. 

And this is not a story unique to Lebanon. Children in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine are growing up in warzones, experiencing trauma beyond most people’s comprehension. I’ve met children who can identify different types of drones before they learn to read. These children are not just surviving war – their lives are being shaped by it.

But -, you can help change this.