By: Pia Farhat

After the tragedy that took place on the 4th of August, pain and devastation spread all over Beirut. Enough was enough and the people of Lebanon couldn’t take it any longer. The explosion left people homeless, families separated, lives lost, and hearts shattered.  The blast of the Beirut Port was another reason to increase starvation, following the economic crisis and the collapse of the Lebanese national currency, both being the result of corruption that has been controlling Lebanon for the past thirty years.

Despite the destruction and damage caused by the explosion, the kindness and love among people was greater than the darkness of any scenery. What was very extraordinary was the amount of initiatives formed and humanitarian aid that spread all over Lebanon with no exceptions. Families, parents and children, along with the youth of Lebanon, went down the destructed streets of Beirut and came together to provide assistance to the affected individuals. While the government was absent, the Lebanese citizens stood together and helped one another all on their own. Help not only came from the inside of Lebanon, but from the outside as well. External support was provided as expats also felt the urge to send help to their homeland.

Consequently, Marina El Khawand, a Lebanese student and social activist, along with her five friends, spontaneously launched an individual initiative with the aim to provide medical assistance to the affected families of the explosion. The team joined efforts and worked together to make sure every single affected person was being taken care of. They visited houses in Beirut and got to know more about the stories of the affected families, in addition to their current medical needs. The initiative started as a result of a shortage in the supply of medications. Most NGOs were only focusing on the provision of food and shelter, and on the other hand, individuals were no longer able to afford buying medications due to their unreasonably high prices.

 A few days after Medonations was launched, Marina and the team were fascinated by the quick amount of support they had received in a very short period of time. What had attracted the continuous support was the credibility and transparency that the team was working with. Everything they did was being documented and put on a database that was accessible to anyone interested in donating. External support played a major role in the growth of Medonations, as the Lebanese community from all over the world had been a huge support since the beginning. An expatriate from France has sent over 15kgs of medicines, and another from the UAE has provided financial assistance to a number of families through Medonations, in addition to a group of expats in Bahrain who have adopted the cases of 4 families and are willing to cover them until the end of the year 2020. Right now, Medonations is getting ready to receive a shipment of medications sent from the USA. Furthermore, volunteers all the way from Portugal visited Lebanon for a couple of days and joined Medonations on the ground during their field visits to the affected families.

This initiative is “A Beam of Hope”. The youth of Lebanon, despite all the obstacles that stand in their way, unite, and stand together against the corrupted government. Lebanon is beautiful, and nothing is making it more beautiful other than its people. The people that are defined by their resilience and strength. The people who don’t lose hope and are willing to rebuild Beirut over and over again. Medonations will continue being “A Beam of Hope”, and it will continue to ensure that help is provided to all the families in need.

To anyone who wishes to support this humanitarian initiative, kindly contact +96176072936 or reach out via Instagram or Facebook pages @Medonations.