2023 Emergency Relief Fund for Lebanon

Amel Association International (Amel), its President-Founder, Dr. Kamel Mohanna, along with its 1500 dedicated volunteers and workers, extends an urgent appeal to all partners and friends to restore Humanity and Dignity, from Palestine to Lebanon.

The association launches a solidarity appeal with Lebanon, emphasizes Amel’s unity with Palestine and its people and underlines the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

While the humanitarian situation in Palestine remains dire, humanity and dignity are also threatened in Lebanon. This appeal provides Amel’s analysis of the current situation and requests your support to strengthen emergency and preparedness response.

Since October 8th, 2023, clashes erupted at Lebanon's southern border, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of individuals and to dozens of civilians dead, injured and severely traumatized. Seeking safety outside the conflict zone, the internally displaced people (IDPs) have scattered across more than 100 locations throughout the country. Notably, IDPs are staying with relatives but have also sought refuge in schools, universities, and local centers. It's crucial to remember that this situation compounds Lebanon’s existing crises, including the consequences of the Syrian crisis, Beirut Port Explosion, outbreaks (COVID-19, cholera), and the country's socio-economic collapse. Based on this context, Amel, together with the humanitarian community in Lebanon, has been scenario planning. While closely monitoring the likelihood of a large-scale crisis in Lebanon, Amel believes that it is vital to further develop the current emergency response while supporting significant preparedness efforts.

Amel’s experience in responding to crises: Amel, a Lebanese non-sectarian and independent NGO founded in 1979, has worked through 32 centers, 6 mobile medical units, 2 education mobile units, and 1 protection mobile unit for over 44 years in the most vulnerable regions of Lebanon. Amel provides accessible and quality activities in health care, protection, livelihood, food security, education, and human rights promotion. Over the past four decades, Amel has consistently set up large-scale emergency responses, including during the 2006 Israeli invasion, providing support to displaced populations in volatile situations. Within this framework, Amel established a crisis cell to coordinate the association’s relief efforts internally and externally.

Amel teams, in coordination with the humanitarian community, national and local authorities, have identified pressing needs during the current emergency period. These necessities are particularly critical among children, older persons, and pregnant women. Amel operates 7 centers and 2 mobile units in Nabatieh and South Lebanon Governorates. Amel’s emergency response focuses on the health and protection sectors, with support from Amel Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs), dispensaries, and mobile medical units (MMUs) catering to all vulnerable populations, including displaced individuals. Amel’s mobile units, in coordination with relevant local and national stakeholders, are strategically positioned to address the specific needs of individuals affected by the clashes, including those in shelters, through health consultations, vaccination, diagnostic support, distribution of hygiene kits, referrals and mental health and protection support. In parallel, Amel also focuses its efforts on ensuring the continuity of its operations, throughout Lebanon, and enables a dignified access to basic human rights, in the health, education, protection, food security and livelihood sectors, to 30,000 individuals in its centers and mobile units, every month.

Concurrently, Amel has initiated preparedness efforts, acknowledging the possibility that this situation may persist and even deteriorate. The association has organized various training activities, advanced procurement of essential items, including medical supplies, and updated assessments of the 32 Amel centers located throughout Lebanon. In terms of planning assumption for a large-scale crisis, Amel anticipates the needs of up to 2,000,000 additional displaced individuals. Accordingly, and based on its crisis management experience, Amel envisions pre-positioning resources and preparing for a holistic response, addressing multi-sectoral needs, enabling affected populations to access food, protection, and health.

Financial Requirements: Amel needs financial resources to continue its current response and prepare its teams for a large-scale crisis. To complement existing support secured by Amel and ensure the sustainability of the current emergency response, Amel needs at least 50,000 USD/month. In the event of a large-scale scenario, Amel’s financial needs could escalate to 500,000 USD/month. Material donations would also be needed in the event of a large-scale scenario.

What Your Support Will Achieve: The support provided by Amel’s partners and friends will enable the association to address the current needs of populations affected by the clashes. With your donations, the following results can be achieved immediately:

 One individual accessing a health consultation with a roving team (5 USD)

 One family receiving 1 hygiene kit covering their needs for 1 month (36 USD)

 A hundred patients receiving their chronic treatment during one month (3700 USD)

Your generosity will also enable Amel to actively prepare a response to a large-scale crisis. With your donation, Amel would be prepared to provide:

 Basic and food assistance to 1 family over 1 month (300 USD)

 Remedial educational classes and psycho-social support to 20 children during 1 month (1000 USD)

 Medication for patients and personal protective equipment for healthcare staff to cover the acute medication needs of 50 individuals (1500 USD)

 Multi-sectoral shelter support (food, hygiene, health, protection, basic assistance) accommodating 50 families over 1 month (5000 USD)

Questions & Answers: For general inquiries about Amel Association International, please contact us at: [email redacted] or at [email redacted] for our friends in the US.