After the August 4 Explosion
A Call from the Middle East Council of Churches to Help 45 Thousand Affected Beiruties
On the first commemoration of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches published a special issue of its quarterly magazine “Al Muntada” in August 2021, entitled "Beirut, in the Heart of the Church, Beirut, a City of Resurrection". The issue includes a report written by the Regional Director of the MECC Diakonia Department Eng. Samer Laham, in which he presented the department's mission in the relief of Beirut.
Written by Eng. Samer Laham
Regional Director - MECC Diakonia Department
Till this day, our world still witnesses painful events and structural economic, social, and political changes. These events only affect the lower social classes, or what became today 85% of citizens in the countries still facing crises and a continuous worsening of economic, social, and political conditions. Corona introduced a new lifestyle, altering our social and familial relationships, imposing an online education that affected our children's mental health and academic performance.
The economic crisis affected mostly those who work day by day to put food on the table, and those who lost their jobs due to long lockdowns. The banking crisis and the black market ate up the middle-class people’s savings and consumed the money in their accounts.
Despite all countries facing the same international challenges, the latter had a different impact on the Middle East where crises are here to stay. This region has been going through crisis after crisis ever since its independence and is now so frail and weak that relief plans are no longer enough to help sustain life in the region with minimum dignity, not to forget the increase of marginalized groups in children, youths, women, and people with special needs. One started to dream about the most basic human rights in these countries, like access to water, electricity, education, health care, and job opportunities. Leaders' lack of vision, transparency, and credibility got these countries to lose hope in a better tomorrow, which resulted in a massive brain drain.
The Middle East Council of Churches realized these challenges ever since its founding and understood that words should he followed by actions, hence the Diakonia program at the pillar of the Council’s framework till this day. The program and its partners never failed to offer help to the most vulnerable, to become the testimony of the work of God and not a witness to unfortunate events, to act and not react. Diakonia program helped preserve people's dignity for it is God given. Today, the Council in involved in humanitarian and development programs following the principles of equity, transparency, neutrality, and professionalism, but most importantly the respect of the beneficiaries' dignity. Everyone working in the program goes by the golden rule of protecting beneficiaries, keeping from hurting them and respect their needs by including them in the program as partners and business owners, not just people receiving help. A lot of these people used to be the ones who would help the vulnerable, but now the tables have turned.
How the Council handled the August 4 explosion repercussions of last year is a great example. That explosion wiped the city, flesh and stone, in the blink of an eye, adding even more pain to the city, killing, scarring and displacing thousands of people. In a country burdened with crises ever since its civil war, the latest being the Corona pandemic and the economic crisis, we are still living in the repercussions of the blast on the economic, national, and personal level, directly or indirectly.
In a few days, one year would have passed since the explosion, with no clues to why it happened and no investigation results. Victims and martyr parents are still waiting for answers to warm their aching hearts.
This tragedy urged the Council to call on its international partners and regional member churches. Everyone rushed to help, especially His Holiness Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark who immediately sent food and medicine to Lebanon with the help of the Egyptian government. Other partners also pitched in with what they could offer from food to health care products and medicine… monetary donations were also sent for the restoration of houses to put life back on its normal track and face the long-lasting crisis repercussions.
“Until this day, the Council was able to help 45 thousand Beiruties through different relief plans, and the work is still going to reach the most vulnerable with flexible monetary donations and business restorations in the affected region.”
Needless to say that the needed help is beyond the Lebanese state capabilities and those of international and national authorities, however, every helping initiative puts a smile on a victim’s face, spreads hope and mends a broken heart, reassuring them that faith-driven organizations like the Council are there to help for god said: “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me. And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25: 45-46).
Help us, God, to be righteous servants in your garden, and melting candles lighting others’ path.
