What we did in 2021
Dear friends and supporters,
For the second time since our beginnings in 2008, we were not able to travel to Lebanon this year.
The year 2021 was no better than 2020 for Lebanon. The country has been grappling with an economic and financial meltdown since the fall of 2019; the severe repercussions of the 2020 Beirut Port explosion; the continued effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and the spill-over effects of the ongoing Syrian crisis.
The currency has lost over 95% of its value, prices have skyrocketed, the government no longer subsidises essentials like medicine, bread and fuel; electricity and water are available for only a few hours per day. The situation continues to get worse, poverty is increasing dramatically, and the hardships of ordinary people are becoming insurmountable. The value of the minimum monthly salary is barely above 20 dollars (17 euro) now.
According to the latest UN data, 82% of the population now live below the poverty line (and 34% live in ‘extreme poverty’).
In this tragic scenario, what we can do is really a very little – but still more than nothing.
In total, we sent 25’100 dollars, 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.
FAID used the funds to
- Buy fuel for generators and heaters (4 tonnes, USD 3200)
- Finance a speech therapist, who teaches the deaf children to speak and lip-read (USD 9350)
Najdeh used the funds to
- Cover (part of) 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
- Buy educational materials and books for the children
Below, the children of FAID show their appreciation for our work & send a big THANK YOU to all:
This year we manage to disburse slightly more than last year, but unfortunately our fundraising did not match the entire sum. It was heart-warming, however, to see that so many friends are very generous. Thank you!
One of our volunteers raised funds by taking painting commissions: here you see some of the artwork. Commissions are open! All proceeds in favour of Lebanon Trust.
Income: donations to Lebanon Trust (Euro) (Dec 1st, 2020 – Nov 30th, 2021)
| Fundraising initiatives, private donations, corporate sponsorships | |
| Total | 19276.37 |
(Year close Nov 30, 2021; 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 | 180.87 |
| Donation to FAID | 11224.39 |
| Donations to Association Najdeh (refugee camps) | 11224.39 |
| Total | 22629.65 |
| Difference | -3353.28 |
(*) Permanent TSB Forex, PayPal
We received many donations through Benevity, The Irish Online Giving Foundation and The UK Online Giving Foundation (thank you Mick!).