2020
On 4 August 2020, the city of Beirut suffered an unprecedented explosion, causing thousands of casualties and considerable damage. In a country already weakened by an economic crisis and the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, civil society quickly mobilised to come to the aid of the population and meet urgent and vital needs.
Operating in Lebanon since 2016 and specialising in the development of child protection, the French association Les Enfants de la Méditerranée has launched an appeal “SOLIDARITÉ LIBAN: AIDONS LES ENFANTS VICTIMES!” to help children affected by the explosion.
As a reminder, more than 180 schools were damaged or destroyed by the disaster, severely affecting the start of the new school year and the 2020 school year for more than 80,000 children.
It was against this backdrop that the Bel Foundation decided to respond to the association’s appeal, focusing its efforts on longer-term reconstruction needs.
The project: The Foundation’s support is helping to renovate the canteen at a tutoring centre in Beirut.
In the Sin El Fil neighbourhood, the association Les Enfants de la Méditerranée, alongside its local partner AFEL (Association du Foyer de l’Enfant Libanais), runs an after-school centre for children. At this centre, the children receive a meal, educational support from volunteers and psychological support, as well as a few hours’ recreation and educational games. Destroyed by the explosion, the centre’s canteen needed new equipment and fittings if it was to continue to offer lunch and snacks to the 120 children aged between 3 and 14 who attend every day. Thanks to the Foundation’s support, the children will once again be able to eat in hygienic and safe conditions.
