Charities have launched appeals for donations to house the more than 250,000 Lebanese who are now homeless and to provide care and food for those in need.
Food, hygiene kits, doctors, housing… the needs are numerous for the inhabitants of Beirut, hit on Tuesday 4 August by a double explosion in the port district which caused over a hundred deaths. “The situation is apocalyptic, Beirut has never known that in its history”, said the governor of the city, Marwan Abboud, on the evening of the catastrophe. Between 250,000 and 300,000 people are now homeless in the Lebanese capital, where thousands of people have been injured.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization also shared its fears that “there will be a problem in the near future with the availability of flour for the country”, as the explosion has broken open the grain silos near the port.
To help the victims, associations have already launched appeals for donations. Overview of initiatives.
French associations
The Secours populaire français announced on Tuesday evening that it had released an initial fund of 100,000 euros to provide “food parcels, hygiene products, kitchen utensils” and re-housing solutions, in particular for the families affected. An appeal for donations has also been launched. It can be accessed here.
The Christian association Œuvre d’Orient has also set up a donation form, here. Interviewed by La Croix, the Lebanese director of the structure, Vincent Gelot, considers that the priority is to “put Christian hospitals and dispensaries back on their feet. This could concern about ten health structures in the area”.
Local branches of international associations
Local branches of international associations have set up donation campaigns (note, for non-English speakers, that most of the pages explaining their action and the donation procedure do not have a French version).
As one of the main providers of ambulance services in the country, the Lebanese Red Cross was one of the first organizations to provide emergency medical assistance in the aftermath of the explosion. The Lebanese Red Cross also announced on Facebook that it has set up several emergency shelters for disaster victims in Beirut. These can accommodate 1,000 families for 72 hours, the NGO said, which will also distribute food and hygiene kits. You can access the online donation form here.
The Muslim association Islamic Relief, present in Lebanon since 2006 to support refugees and people living in poverty, has launched an emergency intervention to provide drinking water and food to people who have lost their homes. In a few days’ time, the charity will also begin helping to clear the streets of debris caused by the explosion, providing those currently unemployed with cash to help them. You can access the online donation form here.
The Catholic charity Caritas Lebanon, for its part, released part of its reserves on Wednesday to distribute “2,300 hot meals and water,” she said. In addition to online donations, whose form is available on its homepage, Caritas would like to federate volunteers on the spot. A phone number has been set up: 79 182 581.
The Lebanese Association of the Knights of the Order of Malta, the local branch of Malteser International, focuses on medical aid, especially for the elderly and people with disabilities. “We are bringing together all the medical capabilities we have in Lebanon”, said Clemens Mirbach, the association’s coordinator in Lebanon, in a statement. These medical teams are usually stationed at the Syrian border to help the injured on the spot. The donation form is available here.
Source: Le Monde
