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)
Expenditure: Disbursements to the supported institutions, expenses (Euro)
Bank and PayPal fees, web hosting & domains |
193.30 |
Donation to FAID |
9860.00 |
Donations to Association Najdeh (refugee camps) |
9400.00 |
Total |
19453.30 |
Difference |
-530.35 |