Sharjah - For its initial projects, Salam Beirut will be supporting two emergency shelter intervention programmes.
Published: Wed 26 Aug 2020, 12:00 AM
Last updated: Wed 26 Aug 2020, 10:30 PM
Sharjah's relief drive Salam Beirut has started rebuilding 485 homes that were destroyed in the explosion that rocked Lebanon's capital earlier this month. In the next six months, 2,900 blast victims - 225 of them are refugees - will be able to return to their homes.
Led by a Sharjah-based global humanitarian organisation, The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), Salam Beirut is an emergency aid campaign and donation drive, rolled out to help the thousands of people who lost everything to the tragedy that hit Beirut. The drive was launched by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah; Chairperson of TBHF; and Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children at UNHCR.
Read on: Sharjah raises Dh30.74 million for blast victims
For its initial projects, Salam Beirut has identified two emergency shelter intervention programmes to support: The first one was the UNHCR's 'Stand with Lebanon' and the second one was designed by Basmeh and Zeitooneh, a registered community relief organisation in Lebanon.
Relief work has already started in several affected neighbourhoods, including Marfaa, Medwar, Jisr, Khodr, Mar Mikhael, Rmeil, Hikmeh, Jeitaoui, Mustashfa El-Roum and Qobayat, and Bori Hammoud on Mount Lebanon.
Mariam Al Hammadi, director of TBHF, said the campaign focuses on the urgent needs of the blast victims. The organisation's partners on the ground, the UNHCR and Basmeh and Zeitooneh, have conducted extensive field visits to help the team provide the relief that residents and refugees needed the most.
"We are hopeful that TBHF's interventions will contribute to providing comfort to thousands of victims and alleviate some of their psychological, financial and physical suffering. We hope they will be able to return safely to their restored homes soon and pick up their lives in the near future," Al Hammadi said.
"We appeal to the global community to support the Beirut victims in their hour of need and contribute generously to the cause."
2,250 to be rehabilitated via UNHCR project
With support from the Salam Beirut campaign, the UNHCR's massive rehabilitation project has begun providing emergency shelter kits to 2,025 Lebanese people and 225 refugees affected by the explosions.
The initiative called 'Stand with Lebanon' will also repair 355 damaged houses, including fixing windows, doors and roofs that had collapsed; reconstructing staircases; and rebuilding refugee shelters.
The UNHCR is also mobilising its local relief stocks to provide essential supplies such as blankets, mattresses and plastic sheets to the victims.
Lending a hand to most vulnerable households
Basmeh and Zeitooneh's emergency response team, on the other hand, is working on restoring 130 houses. They have also provided victims with temporary shelter, along with ready-to-eat also meals, bottled drinking water and other essential supplies.
Once the project is complete, it will help 650 people, including Lebanese nationals and refugees.
How to donate to Salam Beirut
> Contribute via SMS by visiting https://bh.ikhair.net/ml/lebn
> Bank transfers can be made to Sharjah Islamic Bank A/C No: 0011-430430-024IBAN: AE900410000011430430024
> Cheques and cash payments can be made by contacting TBHF on 0557574930.
For more information, visit TBHF's official website https://tbhf.ae/.
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