Lebanese orphanage supported by Irish army in 'dire need' of help after Israeli bomb destroyed it

The bomb damage to Tibnin Orphanage in southern Lebanon.

An orphanage supported for decades by the Irish Defence Forces in Lebanon is in “dire need” of help, according to its director.

Dubbed "Ireland’s embassy" in south Lebanon because of its association with Irish peacekeepers, Tibnin Orphanage was hit in a bombing campaign by the Israelis last September.

Bombs landed within 50m to 100m of the orphanage and led to more than 40 children being evacuated hastily by orphanage director Ali Saad and his staff.

They were relocated to a hotel in central Beirut before being dispersed — for their own safety — to homes dotted in and around the capital, but have mostly all returned to the orphanage since a ceasefire was introduced.

However, the bomb strikes have left the orphanage building in a terrible condition, with windows, air-conditioning units, solar panel and doors and kitchen units needing replacing.

While there has been a big clean-up operation to clear debris, the remaining damage is estimated to cost about €150,000 to fix. 

“Life is not back to normal,” orphanage director Ali Saad told the Irish Examiner. 

“We still have drone attacks from time to time and people are still getting killed on the road.

“The situation is not like before the ceasefire but it is still not easy to move, but things are getting better since the war.

“The children are back in the orphanage and they are attending classes because I do not want them to lose their academic year.

“The building needs a lot of work and, at the moment, we can’t afford to replace the windows.

“Instead, we are covering the areas where the children sleep with sheets of nylon and wooden planks to cover the windows.” 

He added: “All our reserves are gone.

“All our dried food supplies, our olive oil, our diesel, and even clothes are all gone. We are beginning from scratch.

We can only hope we can get some help from the Irish Government, which has been so good to us in the past.

Even though the Irish have a long history of service in Tibnin, it is not currently in its area of operations.

Despite this, Irish peacekeepers have continued to help the orphanage.

Troops, for example, regularly attend various social functions for the children, including at Christmas time.

Irish troops with girls from Tibnin Orphanage. Picture: Ali Saad/Tibnin Orphanage

The orphanage was built with the help and support of peacekeepers from the Netherlands in 1979, but Irish peacekeepers have been heavily involved with it ever since.

Funding for the orphanage, which normally houses up to 65 children, comes from a variety of sources, including the Lebanese government, Defence Forces personnel serving with the UN, and donations from UN veterans.

Funds have previously come via Irish Aid, Ireland’s development co-operation programme.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has met children and staff from the orphanage during several visits to the area.

In the 1980s, Irish soldiers supplied the orphanage with food and helped to equip and install bedrooms. Irish medics serving with the UN also do health checks on the children and provide an element of care for them.

As well as providing fresh water, soldiers also teach English to the children.

Funds supplied by Irish Aid and Defence Forces personnel have also supplied buses over the years, as well as a kitchen and a playground.

It is expected defence minister Simon Harris will visit the orphanage when he goes to Lebanon in the coming weeks.