On Tuesday evening a major explosion in the Lebanese capital devastated local communities. The impact was so strong, that buildings were damaged, and windows shattered across the entire city. Over 100 people have lost their lives and over 4,000 people have been wounded – many children are still missing as rescue teams desperately work to get people out of the rubble.

The disaster couldn’t have come at a worse time for children and their families living in Lebanon who have been dealing with an economic crisis that has seen food prices soar by 100% since September. The explosion took place in the city’s port, heavily damaging the country’s main entry point for food imports. Now, families who were already worrying about having enough food to eat don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Across the country, COVID-19 cases have tripled in the last three months. This, combined with thousands of people injured by the explosion, means hospitals are completely overwhelmed, and medical supplies are scarce. The trauma of witnessing the explosion will also leave children with psychological wounds that need specialist support to heal.

Castle Water support

Save the Children’s Emergency Fund will fund the response to this crisis and they have already allocated £152,263 from the fund to help keep children in Lebanon safe, reunite them with their families and give their families what they need to get back on their feet.

To put these figures into context and to illustrate the amazing impact Castle Water's support has had; Castle Water's Emergency Fund donations, as well as the employee and customer fundraising so far, would be enough to cover this entire initial response in Beirut! So as always thank you for supporting Save the Children’s Emergency Fund.

What Save the Children is doing

For the first two weeks following this disaster:

  • provide families with food and clean water so that children can build their strength
  • distribute hygiene items to protect people against COVID-19
  • reunite children with their families
  • provide psychological first aid for children and caregivers to help them cope with the trauma of what they have experienced
  • provide guidance on how to support children during the aftermath
  • rent temporary accommodation so that families have a roof over their heads.

And, in the first three months, Save the Children also plan to:

  • rehabilitate shelters and water systems that have been destroyed
  • provide families with cash to help them rebuild their lives, as well as provide multi-purpose transfers that will help them put food on the table for their children
  • continue to provide mental health and psychosocial support to help children’s long-term recovery.

Here are examples of what your donation to the Emergency Fund could achieve:

  • £7,614 could pay for the transportation costs needed for 200 children to receive specialist services such as health services or psychosocial support.
  • £24,360 could buy hygiene kits for 2,000 households so that families who are struggling to get by have soap and sanitiser to protect themselves against COVID-19 infection.
  • £89,400 could provide 5,000 families with food baskets, providing enough essential items, like rice, oil, and beans, to last for a week.

By supporting the Emergency Fund, you’re giving children who are living through disasters like the Beirut explosion immediate life-saving support, as well as protecting their futures, so they can go on to change the world. Thank you.

Click here to read more about Castle Water's partnership with Save the Children