Manchester-based Humanitarian charity Human Appeal has launched an emergency appeal to support people affected by the explosion that ripped through Beirut on Tuesday 4th August. The charity will be allocating £50,000 to ensure that people who need emergency assistance receive it as soon as possible.

The blast at the city’s port has killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 more, as well as leaving around 300,000 people homeless. People need medical assistance urgently, but a number of hospitals were damaged in the explosion, and those that weren’t are already overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those left homeless are faced with little choice but to spent night after among rubble, that earlier this week was an entire neighbourhood.

The ability of the Lebanese people to create their own recovery has been severely hampered by the country’s economic collapse. Many have lost their jobs entirely, and those who are still in work have seen incomes drastically cut. This hasn’t just affected Lebanese people, as the large Syrian and Palestinian refugee communities have suffered the same problems.

Human Appeal is on the ground carrying out a needs assessment and will respond to people’s immediate need for food with ‘instant’ meals that don’t need to be cooked, given that homes have been destroyed. The charity will also be assessing how they can help with emergency home repairs.

All activities will be undertaken with COVID-19 protocols in place, and a number of hygiene kits will be distributed to those most at risk of catching the virus.

Active in Lebanon since the 1990s, Human Appeal has worked there extensively on projects to vaccinate children against diseases and provide sponsorship for orphans. The charity has also worked extensively with Syrian and Palestinian refugees, as well as local populations, in camps across the country, providing winter emergency packs, food distributions, livelihoods projects, rehabilitation of homes and education projects.

Dr Mohamed Ashmawey, Human Appeal CEO said

“Our hearts go out to the people of Beirut and Lebanon as a whole, who once again are experiencing a level of suffering that no human should.

At Human Appeal, we know through our work in Lebanon just how precarious the situation was before this tragedy, and so we will do absolutely everything we can to help the people of Beirut to recover.

Please consider giving what you can to help the relief effort and to help people rebuild their lives. Lebanon needs us now more than ever.”

Notes to Editors

You can donate to Human Appeal’s Lebanon Emergency Appeal at https://humanappeal.org.uk/appeals/lebanon-emergency-appeal

Interviews with HA staff in Lebanon can be arranged

For this or any other media enquiries please contact Sam Baxter on 07495 708236.