Charity's call for Longford people to support girls affected by Middle East crisis
ActionAid Ireland says its appeal will help its partners and teams on the ground provide emergency assistance including food, shelter, hygiene supplies and safe spaces for women and girls and families.
A charity has called on the people of Longford to support women and girls in the Middle East devastated by escalating violence in the region.
The appeal by ActionAid Ireland comes as conflict across the region continues to deepen humanitarian suffering.
In Lebanon alone, more than one million people have been displaced, over 90,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and an estimated 1.24 million people are facing acute food insecurity.
ActionAid Ireland says its appeal will help its partners and teams on the ground provide emergency assistance including food, shelter, hygiene supplies and safe spaces for women and girls and families who have lost everything.
ActionAid Ireland CEO Karol Balfe said the human cost of the conflict is being borne disproportionately by women and children.
"Conflict destroys lives, but it does not affect everyone equally. Women and girls face some of the greatest dangers during war, from displacement and homelessness to increased risks of gender-based violence, exploitation, and abuse.
“They are also the people holding families together under unimaginable circumstances. Girls living in areas of conflict are 90% more likely to be out of secondary school than those living in other areas.”
"Behind every statistic is a mother trying to feed her children, a young girl whose education has been interrupted, or a family forced to flee their home with only the possessions they can carry."
ActionAid is working through local women's organisations across Lebanon and the wider Arab region, ensuring support reaches those most in need while strengthening women's leadership in humanitarian response.
Karol Balfe said the Middle East crisis comes against a backdrop of growing global instability and declining humanitarian funding.
She said the war on Iran is also contributing to rising fuel prices in some of the world's poorest countries, increasing hunger and hardship far beyond the region.
What began as a regional conflict is now rippling through some of the world's poorest communities.
Recent ActionAid analysis shows the attack on Iran in February has disrupted global fuel markets, triggering steep increases in fuel prices across Africa and Asia pushing millions of already vulnerable families deeper into poverty.
In countries including Nepal, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Somaliland and Cambodia, soaring transport and fuel costs have forced families to skip meals, withdraw children from school, reduce farming and delay visits to health clinics.
For many families, a rise in fuel prices doesn't simply mean paying more at the pump. It means hunger and interrupted education.
Balfe said the generosity of the Irish public and communities in Longford has never been more important.
"At a time when humanitarian needs are growing and aid budgets are under increasing pressure internationally; we are asking people to stand in solidarity with women who are showing extraordinary courage every single day.”
"These women are not simply victims of conflict. They are community leaders, caregivers and peacebuilders.
“By supporting this appeal, people can help provide immediate assistance while ensuring women have the resources, they need to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope."
Donations to ActionAid Ireland's Summer Appeal will support women and girls affected by conflict in Lebanon and across the Middle East through locally led humanitarian programmes delivering emergency relief, protection and long-term recovery. Summer Appeal 2026 - ActionAid
Voices from the Middle East:
For Zahra, displacement has become a recurring part of life. Originally from Syria, she escaped that war torn country to Lebanon. But now she finds herself uprooted again after bombs forced her family from their home near Beirut.
Today she, her husband and daughters Fatima, 13, and Ghawla, eight, live under canvas in the grounds of Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Centre.
Her greatest fear is not simply losing her home but being forgotten. "They come and ask where we are from," she says. "When we say we are Syrian, they just leave."
In Gaza, Taghreed remembers another life. She once managed two nurseries, ran a children's clothing boutique and operated an ice cream business. Today she lives in a tent in Khan Younis after repeated displacement.
She describes days without enough water and food, children growing up without education. "My children need safety," she says. "They need education, healthcare and a future."
Yet amid the devastation she refuses to surrender hope. "I will plant seeds of hope," she says. "Hope is what keeps us going."