Counting the cost of war

I have lived to see Lebanon at peace and during times of crisis. Lebanon's history has been marked, by turns, by periods of political stability and conflict and turmoil. In more recent years, it has been ravaged by civil wars which have threatened to mar the beauty of the country and its inhabitants. But Lebanon is as beautiful as it is complex. Opposing political factions seem enmeshed in a power struggle without end, yet my abiding memories are of a welcoming, flourishing land and people.

In 1984 I co-founded an organization called Y Care International whose aim it was to work through the globally established network of YMCAs to provide support for disadvantaged young people. The YMCA of Lebanon is a venerable establishment that was founded over a hundred years ago and we worked with our Lebanese partner from the outset. When, three years later I was taken hostage there and detained for almost five years, I often wondered how Y Care International was getting on. With no contact with the outside world I could only guess, so I was delighted when in the months before my release I learned that Y Care International was thriving even in times of difficulty.

Whilst my interest and involvement with the charity grows day by day, Y Care International's philosophy remains the same as it was all those years ago. Often young people are on the fringes of society and their views count for very little. Y Care International challenges this misconception. We believe that given the chance, young people can be the catalyst for change and hold the key to a future of potential.

Without doubt the future of Lebanon is in the hands of the younger generation, to whom the responsibility of government will fall in years to come. Now is the time to encourage young people to direct their energies into meaningful action and positive responses to current tensions. To this end, the focus of my visit to see Y Care International's work in action will be looking toward Lebanon's future in spite of its turbid past.

I am thrilled to be visiting Lebanon again this year. It will be the second time I have returned since my time in captivity. My last visit inevitably brought up thoughts of my time in confinement. In truth I bore no ill will toward my captors but my trip was purgative nonetheless. During my last visit I was filled with hope and faith for the reconstruction of Lebanon after years of civil unrest, so I was disheartened at news of the recent conflict.

The YMCA of Lebanon continues to be an inspiration, offering long-term, sustainable support for young people. Theirs is a remarkable community organization, the optimism and drive of whom inspires real determination and respect.

Y Care International has supported several initiatives implemented by the YMCA of Lebanon. They work with young people regardless of religious, political or ethnic backgrounds. Their emphasis is on responding to the needs of young people in the aftermath of war. Unemployment is rife...

emergencies stuff former projects leading onto current analysis and post conflict stuff…..

As the dust settles on Lebanon, following a month of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, once more we are called to take stock of the after-effects of conflict. Again, it is the usual groups that are most vulnerable to war: women, young people and children.

The Hezbollah-Israel conflict was not in isolation, and can be best understood in the context of ongoing Palestine-Israel hostilities. The poverty and injustice that derive from occupation fuels tensions that lead to a resort to violence. Y Care International focuses for this reason on the poor and marginalised.