Category Archives: News

What we did in 2025

Cosa abbiamo fatto nel 2025: un riassuntino

Gli asili dei campi rifugiati: i piccoli imparano a contare, e i nostri volontari si divertono

Cari amici,

grazie di cuore per il vostro continuo sostegno e la vostra generosità: tutti i volontari della nostra associazione e, in particolare, le persone che stiamo cercando di aiutare vi sono profondamente grati.

Nel maggio 2025 quattro volontari si sono recati in Libano dopo una lunga assenza dovuta alla guerra. La situazione era (ed è tuttora) instabile: nonostante un “cessate il fuoco” in vigore dal novembre 2024, gli attacchi israeliani continuano quasi ogni giorno. Il marito di una delle maestre dell’asilo per rifugiati è stato ucciso in uno di questi bombardamenti e lei è rimasta sola con tre bambini piccoli. Città e villaggi sono gravemente danneggiati. Abbiamo visto e sentito droni israeliani girare in cielo.

Durante la nostra permanenza abbiamo visitato due asili nei campi profughi di Shatila, nella capitale Beirut, e Burj el-Shemali, nella città meridionale di Tiro. Gli asili sono gestiti dall’associazione Najdeh, che conosciamo da molti anni, e sono luminosi, puliti e allegri, e molto ben gestiti da personale davvero motivato. Questi asili sono importanti: danno un’istruzione iniziale in arabo e inglese a bambini che hanno poche opportunità di istruzione; offrono una tregua dalla miserabile realtà della vita nei campi profughi; e facilitano l’accesso alle famiglie stesse, in modo che gli assistenti sociali possano intervenire nel caso di problemi gravi.

Siamo riusciti ad aiutare gli asili per rifugiati, sei in totale, a rimanere aperti fino alla fine dell’anno scolastico (9284,42 euro), fino a quando non è stato possibile garantire una nuova fonte di finanziamento, dato i numerosi tagli agli aiuti internazionali hanno avuto un impatto drammatico sui rifugiati.

Al FAID, la scuola per bambini sordi, abbiamo potuto a finanziare un anno intero di logopedia (9600 $) e il gas da cucina per la mensa scolastica (400 $).

Per i bambini sordi è difficile imparare a parlare, poiché non possono sentire i suoni. La logopedista insegna loro a riconoscere e formare i suoni, pronunciare le parole, usare la voce e leggere il linguaggio labiale. In questo modo, i bambini sordi hanno finalmente la possibilità di entrare in contatto con il mondo che li circonda, continuare la loro istruzione, trovare lavoro e diventare indipendenti. La logopedia è veramente preziosa per loro!

Durante la nostra permanenza abbiamo anche svolto numerosi lavori di manutenzione presso il FAID: riparato gli armadietti di dormitorio e cucina, aggiustato la cappella, ripulito il giardino e il perimetro esterno, fatto molte riparazioni (attaccapanni, rubinetti, lampade, maniglie, parco giochi, ecc.). Abbiamo anche organizzato una festina per i bambini con torte e bolle di sapone, che come sempre hanno riscosso un enorme successo. È sempre un piacere rivedere i ragazzi del FAID, quelli che sono cresciuti dalla nostra ultima visita – li ricordiamo come bambini piccoli, e ora sono più alti di noi! – e le faccine nuove.

Al FAID, la scuola per bambini sordi di Beirut: adolescenti “cool” e un gruppetto più giovane

Entrate: donazioni a Lebanon Trust (€) (1.12.2024 – 30.11.2025)

Raccolte fondi, donazioni private, sponsorizzazioni aziendali
Totale	24’445.50

(Chiusura dei conti 30.11.2025; cambio EUR/USD/CHF: come applicato dalla ns banca in Irlanda)

Uscite: esborsi alle istituzioni sostenute, spese (€)

Commissioni bancarie e PayPal, web hosting e domini	215.95
Donazione al FAID (scuola per sordi)	8’870.75
Donazione all’Associazione Najdeh (asili campi rifugiati)	9’284.42
Totale	18’371.12
Differenza ()*	6’074.38
Utensili, materiali e altre spese sono stati pagati dai volontari

(*) Quest’anno i bonifici bancari verso il Libano sono stati difficili e, in due occasioni, addirittura impossibili, senza una ragione chiara. Riproveremo a inviare altre donazioni nel nuovo anno.

Molte persone generose hanno fatto donazioni tramite Benevity, The Irish Online Giving Foundation e The UK Online Giving Foundation (grazie Mick!). Il nostro amico Kevin Boyle di Tralee ha organizzato ancora una volta uno splendido e riuscito concerto corale a giugno a favore dei nostri progetti. Grazie mille a tutti!

Grazie di cuore ai numerosi amici generosi che hanno aiutato quest’anno (1° dicembre 2024 – 30 novembre 2025):

• Anna Dal Negro e Axel Sonnenfeld (Zurigo, Svizzera) • Annalisa Bonfiglio (Chiavari, Ge) • S.D’A. e U.K. e famiglia (Milano) • Fam. Ricci (Arquata S.) • Enrico & Lilli Bertolotto (Genova) • MC Ferraro & A Bertolotto (Genova) • Rosella Bertolotto & Fam. (Genova) • Fam. Alberghini-Aquini (Arquata S.) • Fam. Ponzano (Arquata S.) • Fam. Boiani, Fam. Fasciolo-Barnabè (Arquata S.) e gli Amici di Montaldero • Giorgio Margotti (Livorno) • Famiglia Zappavigna (Marina di Massa) • Famiglia Vigna-Mori (Savona) • Famiglia Cocurullo (Genova) • Romilda Bertolotto (Genova) • Beni Biondi (Zurigo) • Famiglia Devia (Genova) • Famiglia Prola-Smith (Londra, Regno Unito) • Kathleen, Mick, Carmel Halpin e famiglia (Dublino e Stati Uniti) • Amazon.com • Kevin Boyle e famiglia (Tralee, Irlanda) • Padre Tadgh e il Centro Parrocchiale di St. John’s • Coro della Chiesa di St. John’s • Coro da Camera di Kerry • Orchestra Senior e Junior della Scuola di Musica e Arti Performative di Kerry e i solisti • QK Living Kitchens & Bedrooms (Dublino, Irlanda) • Famiglia Deverell (Dublino) • The Boss (Blanchardstown, Dublino) • Ole Vossnack (Zurigo) • Catherine & Adrian Poeydomenge Ruf (Zurigo) • Pat Stafford e Palmshade Ltd (Dublino) • Christoffer Swanström e famiglia (Zurigo) • Paul Reid Dental Laboratories (Dublino) • Michael Duffy (Dublino) • Dolphin Furniture Sales (Dublino) • Marlene Kazzi • Ammar Mlouk • Griffin Digital Print (Dublino) • I generosi amici di Walkinstown in St Peter’s Crescent e St Peter’s Drive che ci hanno sostenuto (Dublino) • The Terence Welding Company (Dublino) • Luca Colosso Baur e famiglia (Schwerzenbach, CH) • Ricky McCausland e Ansac Credit Union (Dublino) • Martina Merkle (Zurigo) • Patricia Meade (Ca., USA) • Darragh O’Sullivan (Irlanda) • Sean Doyle (Londra) • John della chiesa di Greenhills (Dublino) • e tutte le altre persone generose che desiderano rimanere anonime: voi sapete chi siete!

A wonderful success

June 2025: a splendid evening, a marvellous concert, and a great success for all!

Last Sunday, June 8, Tralee was graced with a Choir Concert that will be remembered. Fabulous voices, wonderful music, a very involved audience. And the proceeds were generously donated to our charitable projects for the children of Lebanon. Over EUR 2000 were raised, in favour of FAID School for the Deaf and the refugee kindergartens of Association Najdeh .

All our gratitude to Fr. Tadgh and St John’s Parish, Tralee , St John’s Church Choir, the Kerry Chamber Choir, the Kerry School of Music and Performing Arts Senior and Junior Orchestras and the soloists, which offer this exceptional evening.

And huge THANKS to all who attended and especially to our friend Kevin Boyle, indefatigable organiser.

Back from Lebanon

May 2025: four of our volunteers just came back from Lebanon! Here’s what they say:

We are all well, got much work done, met everyone we needed to meet, and delivered the donations towards important causes, so our mission could not have gone better. But the situation in Lebanon is dire. We saw much destruction, there is still a lot of bombing, and threatening Israeli drones circling overhead. And really many traumatised people, all terrified, many of which suffered great losses – a friend, who has two small children and a newborn, lost her husband in a bombardment, another friend’s sister lost her house and all her possessions; his own house was heavily damaged. Life is really hard for most people.

On the bright side, we were able to donate to our partner the Association Najdeh, which runs six kindergartens in as many refugee camps. We visited two of them, in the camps of Shatila in the capital Beirut and Burj el-Shemali in the southern city of Tyre. The kindergartens are bright, clean and cheerful, exceptionally well run by very motivated staff. This money will help them to operate until the end of the school year next month. These kindergartens are really important, as they offer a safe and peaceful environment to children highly traumatised by the war, who otherwise spend their lives in the camps, which are all overcrowded, poor, dirty and sometimes violent. Also, the children receive some initial education, in Arabic and English. And last but not least, these kindergartens also provide access to the families themselves, so that social workers can intervene in case they detect serious problems.

We also did quite a bit of maintenance work at FAID, the school for deaf children in Beirut that we also support: we fixed 53 cabinets in the dormitory, 11 in the kitchen plus 7 drawers, worked much in the school’s Chapel, cleaned the garden and its external perimeter, made many small repairs (coat-racks, water taps, lamps, playground, door handles, etc). We also organised a small party for the children with cakes, sweets and soap-bubbles – invariably a huge success. It is always a pleasure to meet the children at FAID, those who have grown up since our last visit – we remember them as tiny kids, and now they are taller than us! – and many new small faces.

All this was possible thanks to our generous donors. Thank you for your support.

Back to Lebanon

May 2025: good news! Our volunteers are going back to Lebanon after a long absence

We are very happy! Very soon some of our volunteers will return to Lebanon, after a long absence due to war. We are *really* looking forward to see our friends and the children at FAID and at Association Najdeh. We will be four people – three old hands and an energetic new face. Welcome Annalisa!

The recent cuts in aid by the US government are having a very negative impact on the deaf children school FAID and the refugee kindergartens at Association Najdeh. If you’d like to donate for them, you can do so by bank transfer, PayPal or bank card on this page.

Tralee Choir Concert for Lebanon Trust

Sunday June 8, 2025: Charity Choir Concert in Tralee

On June 8th, in Tralee, don’t miss this concert! Many friends: St John’s Parish, Tralee and its Choir, Kerry Chamber Choir, Kerry School of Music and Performing Arts Senior and Junior Orchestras, and soloists, will convene together to offer this exceptional evening. And it is for charity! A huge THANK YOU to all and especially to Kevin Boyle, indefatigable exceptional organiser!

March 8 – 9, 2025 Jubilee of the World of Volunteerism

There is one aspect of our society that is not measured in GDP, not calculated in corporate balance sheets, but is invaluable: volunteerism. It is the soul of an economy that is not based only on profit, but on the common good. It is the essence of the human economy, one that is based on giving, on gratuitousness, on the ability to care for others without expecting anything in return. We should think of volunteerism, however, not only as a synonym for generosity, but as an invisible engine that makes the world go round. Indeed, without volunteerism many communities would be lonelier, poorer, more fragile.

Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters!

(source: https://www.frateindovino.eu/il-mensile/giubileo/il-giubileo-del-mondo-del-volontariato)

What we did in 2024

One more year with Lebanon Trust: what we did in 2024

Above: Blankets for the displaced, funded by Lebanon Trust and distributed by Najdeh

Dear friends and supporters,

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support, not only from all the volunteers of our association, but especially from the people we are trying to help.

The year 2024 has been a real calamity for Lebanon, a country already sorely tried by a very deep economic crisis and political instability. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated in September and culminated with very intense and prolonged Israeli aerial bombardment of almost the entire country, including the capital Beirut, and the invasion of the south, until the ceasefire on November 27; resulting in an estimated 1.2 million displaced people and thousands of dead, as well as total destruction of many population centers, burned fields and destroyed plantations. Demolitions and attacks unfortunately continue to this day.

Of course, our friends and work partners in Lebanon were deeply affected by all this. FAID, the school for deaf children that we have been supporting since 2008, was able to reopen only in December. The Association Najdeh, which is active in refugee camps, has worked tirelessly to rescue displaced people, who are camped on beaches, in public gardens, vacant buildings and on sidewalks. We were able to help 206 displaced families!

Thanks to all of you, we were able to send 11,000 dollars in donations. Another 4,000 euros (about 4170 dollars) could not be sent due to bank transfer difficulties but will be sent as soon as possible in 2025.

Income: donations to Lebanon Trust (euro) (1.12.2023 – 30.11.2024)

Fundraising initiatives, private donations, corporate sponsorships
Total	14568.71

(Year close Nov 30, 2023; EUR/USD/CHF currency exchange rate: as applied by our bank in Ireland)

Expenditure: disbursements to the supported institutions, expenses (euro)

Bank and PayPal fees, web hosting & domains	189.70
Donation to FAID (school for the deaf)	5836.00
Donations to Association Najdeh (refugee camps, displaced families)	4600.00
Total	10625.70
Difference (Corresponding approx. to the sum of USD 4000 that has not yet been possible to transfer to Lebanon)	3943.01

Many generous people donated through Benevity, The Irish Online Giving Foundation and The UK Online Giving Foundation (thank you Mick!). Our friend Kevin Boyle in Tralee again organised a splendid choir concert in June in favour of our projects. Having friends like them is what keeps us going. Thank you so much!

Many heartfelt thanks to the many generous friends who helped this year
(Dec 1^st, 2023 – Nov 30^th, 2024):

Kathleen, Mick, Carmel Halpin & family (Dublin & USA) • Amazon.com • Kevin Boyle and family (Tralee, Ireland) • St John’s Church Choir • Kerry Chamber Choir • Kerry School of Music, and the soloists, and everyone who helped on the night of the concert • QK Living Kitchens & Bedrooms (Dublin) • Anna Dal Negro, Axel Sonnenfeld (Zurich, CH) • Ole Vossnack (Zurich, CH) • Catherine Poeydomenge (Zurich, CH) • Catherine Murphy (Nawcastle West, Co Limerick) • Ardfert Quarry Products Partnership (Co. Kerry) • Pat Stafford and Stafford Engineering (Dublin) • Ms Sonja Kick and Endress and Hauser (Kill, Co. Kildare) • All the generous Walkinstown friends in St Peter’s Crescent and St Peter’s Drive for their constant support • Paul Reid Dental Laboratories (Dublin) • Big Mick (Dublin) • Rachad Merashli (Dublin) • Nesrine Abidi (Dublin) • Conor MsSweeney (Dublin) • Hiedda Hoffmann (Dublin) • Andrea Franchini (Dublin) • Anne Byrne (Dublin) • Mahir Erkan (Dublin) • Dolphin Furniture Sales (Dublin) • Griffin Digital Print (Dublin) • The Terence Welding Company (Dublin) • Luca Baur (Schwerzenbach, CH) • Martina Merkle (Zurich, CH) • Patricia Meade (Ca., USA) • the customers of St. Peregrines GAA Club • Fam. Ricci (Arquata S., Italy) • Enrico & Lilli Bertolotto (Genoa, Italy) • MC Ferraro & A Bertolotto (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Aquini (Arquata S., Italy) • Fam. Ponzano (Arquata S., Italy) • Fam Boiani, Fam Fasciolo-Barnabè (Arquata S., Italy) Giorgio Margotti (Livorno, Italy) • Silvana Falaschini (Livorno, Italy) • Fam Zappavigna (Marina di Massa, Italy) • Fam. Vigna -Mori (Savona, Italy) • Jolanda Bianchi (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Cocurullo (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Devia (Genoa, Italy) • Fam Prola-Smith (London, UK) • B. Biondi (Zurich, CH) • The many people who sponsored Paul on the cards • and many other generous people who prefer to remain anonymous!

Update October 2024

***** UPDATE OCTOBER 2024 *

At the moment more than 1 million people – that’s 20% of the entire population of Lebanon – are internally displaced due to the Israeli bombardments on Lebanon. According to the UN, one quarter of entire population is under Israeli evacuation ‘orders’. Families flee from their homes in the South of the country or in some neighbourhoods of the capital Beirut for safer places. Most have nowhere to go – they sleep in temporary shelters such as schools, or in public parks, on the beach or in the streets.

Due to this dramatic situation, Lebanon Trust is now collecting funds to help these displaced people, through our trusted partners on the ground. They distribute meals and emergency kits, with mattresses, blankets, hygiene products.

Thank you for your generosity!

************************************

Concert on Sunday June 16!

Sunday June 16th in Tralee: concert in St. John’s Parish

A Choir Concert in Tralee – come to listen to beautiful music and the finest voices of Ireland! St. John’s Churh Choir, Kerry Chamber Choir, Kerry School of Music Orchestra, with special solo performances.

A truly unforgettable evening – all proceeds in favour of Lebanon Trust’s charitable projects. Tickets EUR 10, at the door on the night.

What we did in 2023

Another year with Lebanon Trust: what we did in 2023

Dear friends and supporters,

First of all, thank you so much for your continued support, not only from all the volunteers of our Charity but above all from the people in Lebanon we are trying to help.
This year we had organised a 2-week work trip to Beirut and to the South of Lebanon in late October. But then war erupted, and our flights were cancelled. This war is a calamity for the region and the country, and not being able to go is unfortunate for our Charity, as it is important for us to show our support directly. We hope very much that we can go in 2024.
Despite everything, we manage to send EUR 16’0000 in donations, equally split between FAID, the school for deaf children that we have been supporting since 2008, and Association Najdeh, working in Lebanon’s refugee camps. The funds are being used for the children’s food programme and for the school and kindergartens running costs, such as books.

Income: donations to Lebanon Trust (Euro) (Dec 1st, 2022 – Nov 30th, 2023)

Fundraising initiatives, private donations, corporate sponsorships
Total	10524.84

(Year close Nov 30, 2023; EUR/USD/CHF currency exchange rate: as applied by our bank in Ireland)

Expenditure: Disbursements to the supported institutions, expenses (Euro)

Bank and PayPal fees, web hosting & domains	188.06
Donation to FAID (school for the deaf)	7968.48
Donations to Association Najdeh (refugee camps)	8000.00
Total	16156.54
Difference	-5631.70

Many heartfelt thanks to the many generous friends who helped this year
(Dec 1^st, 2022 – Nov 30^th, 2023):

• Kevin Boyle and family (Tralee, Ireland) • St John’s Church Choir • Kerry Chamber Choir • Kerry School of Music, and the soloists, and everyone who helped on the night of the concert • Kathleen, Mick, Carmel Halpin & family (Dublin & USA) • the customers of St. Peregrines GAA Club • Anna Dal Negro Axel Sonnenfeld (Zurich, CH) • Ardfert Quarry Products Partnership • Amazon.com • Martina Merkle (Zurich, CH) • Patricia Meade (Ca., USA) • Luca Baur (Schwerzenbach, CH) • Ole Vossnack (Zurich, CH) • Catherine Poeydomenge (Zurich, CH) • Fam. Ricci (Arquata Scrivia, Italy) • Enrico & Lilli Bertolotto (Genoa, Italy) • MC Ferraro & A Bertolotto (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Aquini (Arquata Scrivia, Italy) • Gabry e Felice Boiani, sigg. Fasciolo-Barnabè e gli amici di Montaldero (Arquata Scrivia, Italy) Giorgio Margotti (Livorno, Italy) • Silvana Falaschini (Livorno, Italy) • Fam Zappavigna (Marina di Massa, Italy) • Angela Vigna & Giulio Mori (Savona, Italy) • Jolanda Bianchi (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Cocurullo (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Devia (Genoa, Italy) • Fam Prola-Smith (London, UK) • B. Biondi (Zurich, CH) • Pat Stafford and Stafford Engineering (Dublin) • All the generous Walkinstown friends in St Peter’s Crescent and St Peter’s Drive for their constant support • Hoistech Engineering (Dublin)• Paul Reid Dental Laboratories (Dublin) • Big Mick (Dublin) • Brenden & staff at Lilliput Stores (Dublin) • Dolphin Furniture Sales (Dublin) • QK Living Kitchens & Bedrooms (Dublin) • Griffin Digital Print (Dublin) • The Terence Welding Company (Dublin) • The many people who sponsored Paul on the sponsor cards • and many other generous people who prefer to remain anonymous!

A generous donation to Najdeh

October 2023: Lebanon Trust sends a generous donation to Najdeh

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to send EUR 8000 to Association Najdeh, , to help two kindergartens they run in the refugee camps of Shatila in Beirut and Burj el-Shemali in Tyre (South Lebanon). At the moment we cannot go and visit them personally, but they are always in our hearts. See you soon, friends.

A generous donation to FAID

October 2023: Lebanon Trust sends a generous donation to FAID

Thank you so much, dear donors and supporters! Your generosity allowed us to send EUR 8000 in support of FAID, the school for deaf children that we support since 2008.

We may not be able to visit them now, as our flights have been cancelled due to the current tense situation, but at least we can send some help from afar, to support FAID’s educational activities and the food programme for the boarding section. 92 children and their teachers are very grateful to you!

Lebanon Trust volunteers are going again (if flights are not cancelled …)

October 2023: Lebanon Trust’s volunteers are going again to Lebanon

In late October we will travel to Lebanon again to visit our friends there:

FAID; the school for deaf children that we assist since 2008, and two refugee kindergartens run by the Association Najdeh. We will bring our generous supporters’ donations, and do some practical work. We truly look forward to seeing all of them, teachers and children! Wish us luck – many flights to Beirut have been cancelled due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

Thank you generous friends

Many heartfelt thanks to the many generous friends who helped this year (Dec 1^st, 2021 – Nov 30^th, 2022):

• Mick Halpin & family (Dublin & USA), for the constant great generosity • Anna Dal Negro Axel Sonnenfeld (Zurich, CH) • Amazon.com • Diederik Brasser (Hattem, NL) • Martina Merkle (Zurich, CH) • St John’s Church Choir Kerry Chamber Choir, Kerry School of Music, and the soloists • Ole Vossnack (Zurich, CH) • Kevin Boyle (Tralee, Ireland) • Patricia Meade (Ca., USA) • Luca Baur (Schwerzenbach, CH) • Pat Stafford and Stafford Engineering (Dublin) • Catherine Poeydomenge (Zurich, CH) • the customers of St. Peregrines GAA Club • Pat McDonnell Paints (Tralee, Ireland) • CBS Clounalour (Tralee, Ireland) • Cumann Iosaef Community Centre (Tralee) • Aidain Kelly Pensions (Tralee) • John & Shannon Zuzek • Philippe Goubet (Paris, France) • Helen Gordon • All the generous Walkinstown friends in St Peter’s Crescent and St Peter’s Drive for their constant support • McCormack’s Cycle Centre (Dublin) • Paul Reid Dental Laboratories (Dublin) • Gerard Kelly • All the lads at Bisset Engineering (Dublin) • All the girls and lads at Hoistech Engineering (Dublin) • M. McKeon manufacturing Ltd • Big Mick (Dublin) • Brenden & staff at Lilliput Stores (Dublin) • Dolphin Furniture Sales (Dublin) • QK Living Kitchens & Bedrooms (Dublin) • Griffin Digital Print (Dublin) • The Terence Welding Company (Dublin) • The many people who sponsored Paul on the sponsor cards • Fam Bertolotto-Della Penna (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Ricci (Arquata Scrivia, Italy) • Enrico & Lilli Bertolotto (Genoa, Italy) • MC Ferraro & A Bertolotto (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Aquini (Arquata Scrivia, Italy) • Saverio Vanella (Arquata Scrivia, Italy) • Giovanna Ferraro (Genoa, Italy) • Fam. Fasciolo-Barnabè (Arquata Scrivia, Italy) • Carla Massa (Genoa, Italy) • Anna Galli (Genoa, Italy) • Famiglia Cocurullo (Genoa, Italy) • Famiglia Devia (Genoa, Italy) • Iolanda Bianchi (Genoa, Italy) • Romilda Cocurullo (Genoa, Italy) • Giorgio Margotti (Livorno, Italy) • Silvana Falaschini (Livorno, Italy) • Enrico Pallavicini (Genoa, Italy) • Laura Bullio (Genoa, Italy) • Guido De Vecchi (Genoa, Italy) • G.G. Salerni (Genova, Italy) • Fam Zappavigna (Marina di Massa, Italy) • and many other generous people who prefer anonymity!

What we did in 2022

Dear friends,

This year, at last, we were able to travel to Lebanon, for first time since 2019. We have found a much-changed country, where the state has collapsed and people are left to fend for themselves. Services like electricity, sanitation, banking, etc., have essentially ceased. The government no longer subsidises bread, fuel, or medicine. The national currency is in free fall: most items have become unaffordable, including local produce, as fuel and fertiliser are imported. Traffic lights do not work, cities are dark and deserted at night, many shops have been forced to close. Millions of people have been pushed into poverty and had to cut back on essentials like food and medication.

Since banks are barely functioning and impose arbitrary and illegal limits on withdrawals, the only way to get money into the country and make sure it arrives to its recipients is to fly in with cash, which is what we did. In May and in November we brought a combined total of EUR 19260 in donations, split between FAID, the school for deaf children that we have been supporting since 2008, and Association Najdeh, working in Lebanon’s refugee camps.

FAID used the funds to

Buy fuel for school bus, generator and heaters: EUR 6000
Cover the food and fuel for the children’s summer camp, which took place on the school’s premises, and one outing: EUR 3600
Replace a water pump and some smaller items: EUR 260

Najdeh used the funds to

Help cover the running costs of the kindergartens of the refugee camps of Shatila in Beirut and Burj el-Shemali in Tyre; this includes operational expenses such as staff salaries and children’s meals: EUR 3400
Buy schoolbooks for the children – of all refugee kindergartens in Lebanon – whose families cannot afford them: EUR 6000

Income: donations to Lebanon Trust (Euro) (Dec 1st, 2020 – Nov 30th, 2021)

Fundraising initiatives, private donations, corporate sponsorships
Total	18922.95

(Year close Nov 30, 2021; EUR/USD/CHF currency exchange rate: as applied by our bank in Ireland)