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Crisis in Lebanon
Disaster in the midst of crisis: the huge explosion in Beirut in August 2020 has drastically exacerbated the economic crisis in Lebanon. Help supports small businesses in getting back on their feet and thus creates long-term prospects.
How is Help providing support in Lebanon?
Promoting economic stability
Help is currently supporting 32 small businesses in Lebanon that have been affected by the economic crisis. True to our guiding principle of empowering people to help themselves, they receive financial support so that they can renovate their business premises or finance urgently needed equipment and materials. We focus on companies that have employed up to ten other people and would have to go out of business without support.
We have also already supported the reconstruction of housing: Together with local partners, we helped to rebuild 54 homes that were rendered uninhabitable by the explosion. 15 families with physically impaired family members were provided with needs-based equipment. Those affected also received psychosocial support and physiotherapy.
Donors: ADH (Aktion Deutschland Hilft), Staatskanzlei NRW
What is the situation like in Lebanon?
Economic crisis in Lebanon worsens
Lebanon has been in a serious crisis for years. The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has made the situation even worse since 2020. Around 3.8 million Lebanese are currently in need of humanitarian aid, in addition to numerous other suffering refugees from Syria.
On August 4, 2020, the capital Beirut was rocked by a devastating explosion. At least 191 people died as a result of the disaster and over 300,000 lost their homes. Large parts of the city were devastated.
The explosion in Beirut destroyed the entire national grain store as well as numerous residential buildings and stores. Many people cannot even afford to buy food, let alone rebuild their homes or businesses. Poverty has increased even more since then: around 70,000 people became unemployed from one second to the next.
Reconstruction after the explosion in Beirut
"We were devastated when we saw the extent of the destruction," reports 65-year-old Afaf. She lives with her family in the immediate vicinity of the port in Beirut. The explosion on August 4, 2020 initially made her home uninhabitable: doors and windows were destroyed, and an interior wall was so badly damaged that it had to be demolished. Help quickly initiated repair work. "The carpenters, builders and painters are very professional. You can see that they know exactly what they're doing," says Afaf.
The repairs were completed in December 2020. Afaf was finally able to return to the apartment with her family. They are more than happy:
Now we have a home again. You can't imagine how much this house means to us.
Afaf, affected by the explosion