Caring about a Catastrophe
On Tuesday, August 4th, the day of the explosion in Beirut, I received the following text from Trivina, a friend living in Beirut near ground zero:
I have known Trivina since she was a girl growing up at the crossroads of the conflict between Syria and Lebanon. Now she was asking me for help so she could return to her city with a response team from our local partner in Lebanon.
Disasters disrupt. By their nature, they accelerate change, whether positive or negative. But when a disaster strikes in the middle a country already in crisis—political turmoil, economic collapse and a raging pandemic—a disaster becomes a catastrophe. It devastates.
The explosion, which claimed more than 150 lives and injured over 6,000, landed at the door of a nation already doing battle with an uncontrolled virus caught in the crossfire of regional and civil conflict while mired in a free-falling economic crisis. Soaring inflation and unemployment had catapulted more than one million people into poverty. According to the UN, half the population of Lebanon live in fear they will not find enough to eat. The cost of bread has soared to the price of three-days’ wages. Basic public services like power, water and trash collection are increasingly unreliable, all while political powers both inside and out remain locked in stalemate, unable or unwilling to help the people affected.
Trivina, picture here on the right with Izdihar on the left, responding in Beirut.
For us, this wasn’t just a moment to respond. One Million Thumbprints had made a commitment to our sisters in Lebanon and Syria years before. Over the years, shoulder to shoulder, together, we’ve learned to not mince words. No wining. No excuses. No half-hearted Christian sympathy. No dehumanizing--seeing problems instead of people. We expect mutuality from each other, even when we are knee deep in the rubble of a crisis. So when two strong, Arab women—Trivina and Isdihar—unapologetically asked me to help them so they could help families most affected by the catastrophe, my only answer was unequivocally…
Yes.
Our response to the crisis in Beirut centers on three areas of immediate need that can expand as we receive more resources. We are:
Providing emergency food boxes and basic health and medical supplies to 40+ ground zero families. Providing cash disbursement to 30 + ground zero families in Beirut to repair and secure their homes.
Providing cash disbursement to 5 local congregation to repair and secure their buildings so they can respond to their communities.
100% of all donations will go directly to help those at ground zero secure safe shelters and provide food and medical supplies for families devastated by the explosion.
