Food and Emergency Goods for Displaced Lebanese in the Chouf

Hiya everyone

My name is Danny, I'm Lebanese and live in London.

Since late September, the Israeli assault on Lebanon has displaced nearly 1 million Lebanese from the South, with many taking shelter in Beirut and in towns and villages across the country. Officially, there have been 100,000 registered displaced people and they have been assigned to schools turned refugee shelters around the country.

In my parents' village alone in the Chouf region, there are 200 people sheltering in a small school, and nearly 400 in the neighbouring village. On the first day they arrived, my mother and some volunteers brought them breakfast and learned that no one had come to check on them or provided them with any aid.

That first day, she asked me to fundraise here in London to buy them food for the next couple days and in just 24 hours, I had received an incredible £3.5k from my friends and networks. We were able to feed over 500 people across two shelters from Thursday to Monday, providing mana2eesh (lebanese flat bread) for breakfast and a hot meal in the evening. We also purchased baby clothes for the families that fled their homes with nothing.

Since then, I have raised a further £4,000 that will continue to provide food and provide basic goods. My mother (retired NGO worker & psychosocial therapist) has been coordinating everything on the ground and distributing the aid accordingly. I've sent all the money over via Western Union and will do so again once the target has been reached.

There aren't any NGOs or major charities operating in the region where my parents live, and the local municipalities do not have the resources or infrastructure to facilitate aid to the shelters. Mutual aid has proven the most effective way to get support to the people who need it fast.

If you are able, please consider donating to this fundraiser so we can continue to provide support, warm meals, and community to our fellow Lebanese.