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The August 4, 2020 explosion at the Port of Beirut was classified as one of the worst non-nuclear explosions in the world. Nearly 218 people died and more than 6,500 were injured, including approximately 1,000 children. The destruction extended over more than a 3-mile radius around the port. Around 300,000 people were left without housing. About 87,519 units were damaged, including 20 government institutions, 14,848 commercial establishments, 5251 commercial companies, 991 restaurants and bars, 92 educational facilities, 14 hospitals, 25 hotels, 91 religious facilities, 62,050 housing units, of which 9,000 units became uninhabitable in addition to the damage of about 5,000 cars. More than 70,000 people lost their jobs as a result of the explosion without the possibility of finding other jobs. The World Bank estimated losses between 6.7 and 8.1 billion US dollars, and considered that Lebanon urgently needs about 700 million dollars in aid for the year 2020 and 1.5 billion dollars for the year 2021. Source: MTV Lebanon, Arabic news video report.  Today, one year after the explosion and although a lot has been accomplished, many damaged units, from all sectors, were fixed; plumbing repairs were undertaken; food parcels and hot meals, were distributed; cash and in-kind support for families were donated; but needs are still great. According to a survey published recently by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, a year after the devastating explosion in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, a staggering 98 per cent of families are still in need. Seven in ten households requested basic assistance after the explosion and almost all of those families still need support. Most of the requests were for cash assistance and food, which remains the case. Almost all families said their homes needed repairs and about half of those said this is still the case. Four in ten said their water supply system was affected by the explosion, and about a quarter of those families said this is still the case. Sources: Unicef, Middle East and North Africa web article Un News web article
- Daily hot meals for 300 families, lunch and dinner - 100 parcels of food for 100 families that is sufficient for one month (each month) - The Family received 20 ventilators and supplied them to Corona virus patients - Distribution of different medicines for patients in need - Working to secure much needed gasoil for heating in the coming winter Help is still desperately needed. The Family of Saint Sharbel in the US (501 c3) is calling on all who can help to consider contributing to help the people of Beirut.
Please visit our GoFundMe fundraising page and show your support today.
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Please help us distribute more food parcels. The Family of Saint Sharbel continues its distribution of food parcels to the families affected by the August 4 Beirut blast.
The Family of Saint Sharbel has partially resumed its work in supporting the people affected by the August 4 Beirut Blast after a slight relief in Corona lockdown measures in Lebanon. This three-minute report, which was broadcasted Feb 4 on MTV, a local Lebanese TV station, shows that the current situation in Beirut, six months after the explosion, has not changed much. Although the report is in Arabic, but in its first 90 seconds the images speak for themselves. The Family of Saint Sharbel continues its support and distribution of meals and food parcels to the people affected by the August 4 Beirut Blast.
During the Christmas Season, The Family of Saint Sharbel continued its support and distribution of meals and food parcels to the people affected by the August 4 Beirut Blast, with a “Christmas Spirit and look”. The Family of Saint Sharbel continues to support families affected by the Beirut blast. Distribution of food parcels has increased to cover around 200 families per month, check the video. Please help us distribute more food parcels. As of this week, the Family of Saint Sharbel had to slightly modify its response to the Aug. 4 Beirut blast: distribution of sandwiches has been stopped, and house repairs have been slowed due to other priorities. Distribution of food parcels has increased to cover around 200 families per month and we are still providing 600 hot meals per day. The Family of Saint Sharbel in the US (501 c3) is calling on all who can help to consider contributing to help the people of Beirut. Your help is needed and appreciated. Check what people are saying about how the Family of Saint Sharbel helped them fix their homes after the Beirut blast: “The explosion went off, and for the first 10 seconds, we lost track of what was happening. I was shocked to see there were no more windows or doors. All was broken, TV's, microwave, AC... Thanks to the Family of Saint Sharbel, we were able to fix a large part of our house…” “We arrived home to find our house all damaged including all exterior doors and windows especially the dining and living rooms. All the doors were pulled out. We thank God for the Family of Saint Sharbel who since the explosion happened, they kept supporting us…” Help is still desperately needed. The Family of Saint Sharbel in the US (501 c3) is calling on all who can help to consider contributing to help the people of Beirut.
Last month, the Family of Saint Sharbel distributed 800 food parcels (boxes providing for the basic needs for around one month for a family) and 4,500 sandwiches. They also served and still serving 300 hot meals twice per day (lunch and dinner). They have already fixed 20 houses from their list of damaged houses. They hope to reach a stage where they can help fix more houses and distribute more food, as the needs are tremendous. Help is still desperately needed. The Family of Saint Sharbel in the US (501 c3) is calling on all who can help to consider contributing to help the people of Beirut.
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