Lebanon

Lebanon, a country smaller than the state of Maryland, will have received more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees by 2016.

While leaders of Western European countries are debating on how to deal with the current refugee crisis, Lebanon has been quietly absorbing as many Syrian refugees as Europe has received during past year, with a quarter of the Lebanon's population now made up by refugees.  In fact, the refugee numbers are so staggering, Lebanon and its people are at breaking point.  Lebanon has the distinction of ranking number one worldwide in term of ‘Refugees per 1,000 inhabitants’.

Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood actress and special envoy for the UNHCR, has recently visited a refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and gave an impassioned speech on the plight of the refugees.  Let’s hope the world’s nations will coordinate and do more to assist and give hope to these refugees.