Help Beirut: Saifi Sisters for Saifi Urban Gardens
Donation protected
Dear Friends,
As you probably know, on August 4, Beirut was struck by an explosion that decimated large swathes of the city and was felt as far away as Cyprus. 175 people were killed, over 4,000 were injured, and many others are missing. People have been left homeless, and their businesses destroyed.
The victims include the staff of Saifi Urban Gardens . Saifi was our first home in Beirut, the place where we met and forged lifelong bonds. When we refer to ourselves, it is as the Saifi Sisterhood, a signifier of our love for each other and for the role this special place had in bringing us together. Indeed, there are thousands of travellers and former students who feel tightly connected to the Saifi community. The affection we share is not just with each other, but also with the people who run Saifi’s Arabic language school, hostel, cafe, and bar. The Dirani family and their employees are some of our dearest friends in Beirut.
As Saifi sits only a couple of hundred meters from the blast site, it was largely destroyed. Rebuilding will be a monumental task, and in the meantime, it will be hard for the family to keep on their employees. With the state of Lebanon being what it is - mass protests, economic and political collapse, and a pandemic on top of everything - they will need all the help they can get.
To aid them, we are asking our friends and family to contribute to this GoFundMe campaign we have set up. As you may have read, donating to local individuals or charities is tricky at this time: because of mass inflation and an economic tailspin, the banks are not releasing cash. Funds donated to this campaign will go to Saskia’s account, be withdrawn as cash, and then sent directly to Lebanon by a friend who is in frequent transit between the Netherlands and Lebanon.
Please consider sparing what you can for our friends at Saifi during this difficult time.
With love and gratefulness,
Erin, Vanessa & Saskia
Saifi Sisters 2013
As you probably know, on August 4, Beirut was struck by an explosion that decimated large swathes of the city and was felt as far away as Cyprus. 175 people were killed, over 4,000 were injured, and many others are missing. People have been left homeless, and their businesses destroyed.
The victims include the staff of Saifi Urban Gardens . Saifi was our first home in Beirut, the place where we met and forged lifelong bonds. When we refer to ourselves, it is as the Saifi Sisterhood, a signifier of our love for each other and for the role this special place had in bringing us together. Indeed, there are thousands of travellers and former students who feel tightly connected to the Saifi community. The affection we share is not just with each other, but also with the people who run Saifi’s Arabic language school, hostel, cafe, and bar. The Dirani family and their employees are some of our dearest friends in Beirut.
As Saifi sits only a couple of hundred meters from the blast site, it was largely destroyed. Rebuilding will be a monumental task, and in the meantime, it will be hard for the family to keep on their employees. With the state of Lebanon being what it is - mass protests, economic and political collapse, and a pandemic on top of everything - they will need all the help they can get.
To aid them, we are asking our friends and family to contribute to this GoFundMe campaign we have set up. As you may have read, donating to local individuals or charities is tricky at this time: because of mass inflation and an economic tailspin, the banks are not releasing cash. Funds donated to this campaign will go to Saskia’s account, be withdrawn as cash, and then sent directly to Lebanon by a friend who is in frequent transit between the Netherlands and Lebanon.
Please consider sparing what you can for our friends at Saifi during this difficult time.
With love and gratefulness,
Erin, Vanessa & Saskia
Saifi Sisters 2013
Fundraising team: Saifi Sisterhood (3)
Saskia Nout
Organizer
Amsterdam Binnenstad en Oostelijk Havengebied, NL, 7
Bo Reimer
Team member
Vanessa Newby
Team member