«I’ve never experienced a time in my life when everything has been so hard – the economy, the virus, the explosion», says Ghada Nicolas (53). Her family is one of 1000 families that are receiving help from food e-cards, which are reloaded monthly with money to buy essential food items.
220 people died, 6500 were injured and 300 000 left homeless after the blast which happened August 4, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. ADRA has been on the ground since the day of the explosion and has so far assisted 2397 households.
The Beirut blast left Mrs. Ghada in a very dire situation, having her home, possessions and livelihoods damaged. She has been suffering financially because she stays at home to take care of her mother. «The food e-card ensures that I can feed my mother», she says.
One would think the situation would get better as Beirut rebuilds after the blast, but in fact the situation gets worse everyday, especially because of hyperinflation in the country. The value of the lira keeps losing against the dollar (now at 10,000 to $1). This has increased the prices of everything in the country, especially food and fuel.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown restrictions makes people unable to work and adds to their incapability to afford the high prices. This especially hits the refugee families in Lebanon hard. The UN reports that nine out of ten Syrian refugees live under the extreme poverty line.
Justice, compassion, love
Mrs. Shames Moussa (36), lives with her children, husband, and her sister in Bourj Hammoud, a district in Beirut, and is another beneficiary of ADRAs e-food project. «In the hardest time ADRA was here to help me and my kids to survive. I will never forget ADRA because they treated me with kindness and respect», she says. Both Mrs. Moussa and her husband has lost their jobs because of the pandemic and have not been able to find work since. The food e-card makes sure the family has food on the table.
Mrs. Ghada came to the ADRA office to thank ADRA in person: «Your cash assistance was much needed and it has protected my family’s wellbeing in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion and amidst the ongoing economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.»
Your gift matters!
When you give to the disaster, famine and relief offering, you reach out a hand to families experiencing the hardest times of their lives. Not all emergencies are as well covered in the media as Lebanon. You also make sure that ADRA is ready to respond at all times and able to help families experiencing hardships – even if the emergency does not make it to the big news channels.
Credit, Photo 1: Eduardo Bovo
Credit, Photo 2: Marcel Wagner
Credit: Photo 3: ADRA Lebanon