Help My Lebanese Family In Beirut Recover
Your donation will be going directly to help Joseph, his wife, and their two pre-teen children, currently living in a tent in the heart of Beirut. The funds received so far have been sent and they have begun trying to repair their home.
We are still asking for donations to help repair their car, his small fishing boat, as well as hospital expenses, food, and helping them get by these next few weeks to months as the unrest and instability in Lebanon grows
What Happened:
My cousin Joseph, his wife and two young daughters live in the heart of Beirut, a city recently rocked by an explosion the entire world witnessed from the screens of their computers and cellphones. While the videos from the blast have had millions of views from every country, what hasn’t been as easily viewed is the widespread devastation and far reaching consequences. Consequences that can be seen thousands of times over, in multitudes of personal devastations, hitting thousands of individual people- people like my cousin Joseph and his family.
Joseph’s family, and the Lebanese people in general, are a proud people who believe in working hard for what they get, and not taking handouts from anyone. However, right now they truly need a helping hand. They were already struggling just to survive in a country where the economy was collapsing, the government was corrupt and the ability to access everyday basics needed for living was becoming more and more difficult.
In addition, Joseph’s wife has a concerning case of anemia, which has required multiple hospitalizations, and a specialized diet to manage. This was a sacrifice in itself, especially with two growing children at home.
Living In A Tent
This explosion has taken their home. They, like thousands of families that were affected, are living in a tent as temporary housing, trying to get by on minimal food and water until their home is safe to live in again.
Joseph is a retired military veteran who is now a fisherman. The blast destroyed his fishing boat. When a gallon of milk and a carton of eggs cost a quarter of a monthly salary, a disaster such as this can be incredibly hard to overcome. Especially when the source of your livelihood is taken from you, as Joseph’s boat was taken from him.
On top of all this, the blast destroyed their car, leaving them without reliable transportation. With their home, source of income, and mode of transportation gone, my cousin and his family are truly in need. This disaster has completely demolished their already difficult lives in a country that has consistently failed its people over and over again.
Now, the government of Lebanon has resigned. They can not be relied on to help Joseph’s family or any of the thousands of families suffering. And as much as we would like to think that money coming from emergency relief is actually going directly to the people, only a small percentage actually makes it to families in need. As it is, charities take huge percentages and make people jump through hoops for mere cents on the dollar of what donations they’ve received. The people of Lebanon cannot rely on charities either.
Joseph and his family can not depend on charities and NGOs to help them repair their home, their boat, or their car. They cannot look to the government for assistance with food and medical expenses. There is nothing set in place to help them weather what is sure to be a time of growing turbulence and instability in their country in wake of the destruction of everything they know.
We need people with love and compassion to reach out and step in where governments and charities can or will not. Every single donation helps. No contribution is too small. A lot of small contributions can still add up to a very large impact in the course of my family’s life.
Every single penny counts. And time is of the essence. Joseph and his wife have asked me to thank you in advance for your kindness in considering their needs in this incredibly difficult time.
Some Background on The Lebanese Situation:
The whole world has felt the impact of the pandemic and global shutdown this year. However, in addition to an unprecedented medical crisis with profound economic consequences, the country and people of Lebanon have been crippled by a currency collapse that has driven the country to the brink of despair.
Even before the explosion that rocked the world on August 4, many parts of Lebanon were receiving no more than 2-3 hours of electricity a day. Bread was hard to find as the corrupt ruling class government couldn’t fund imports of wheat. Essential medicines were disappearing, hospitals were unable to pay their workers, hunger and unemployment were steadily rising.
Now the Port of Beirut, Lebanon’s source of import for most all vital goods, which accounts for 70% of its trade, as well as the country’s national grain silo, has been struck a near fatal blow. In the span of a few seconds, homes were demolished, creating thousands of newly homeless families; economic districts were reduced to rubble, destroying the livelihood of thousands of workers; and desperately needed hospitals were damaged, limiting their ability to provide life saving help.
