Since the huge explosion on Tuesday in a warehouse in the port of Beirut which left at least 158 dead, 6,000 injured, tens of missing and hundreds of thousands homeless, the planet has its eyes turned to Lebanon.
In this country plunged for months into a very serious economic crisis, a historic depreciation of its currency, hyperinflation and rapidly growing unemployment, the deadly explosion in the port of the capital is one catastrophe too many for the Lebanese.
“This terrible tragedy triggered an extraordinary outpouring of solidarity. We have received hundreds of messages asking how to help. Everyone wants to help… ”said, moved, Hanaa Jabbour, Marketing Director of L'Orient-Le Jour.
The leading French-speaking daily in Lebanon has therefore decided to join an initiative launched by Impact Lebanon, a non-profit organization, aimed at collecting donations and then distributing them to NGOs working in the field.
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In this country plagued by corruption, one of the main daily newspapers in Lebanon vouches for the destination of funds: “. The NGO must be registered in Lebanon, apolitical, devoid of any claim or community affiliation, be engaged in aid to the victims of August 4. The NGOs identified for the moment are: The Lebanese Red Cross, arcenciel, Offer Joie and Beit el Baraka. The objective is also to identify other NGOs which are currently working in the field " , specifies Hanaa Jabbour before adding " L'Orient-Le Jour will ensure that the money is distributed equitably and undertakes to return the public balance sheet ” .
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International aid is organized. France has already sent emergency personnel and material aid. An air and sea bridge brought more than 18 tons of medical aid and nearly 700 tons of food aid.
This Sunday, Emmanuel Macron co-chairs, with the UN, a videoconference bringing together the United States, China, Russia, Egypt and international donors in order to define an "emergency and hope for the future" of the country, specifies the Elysee.
Hours before participating in this online meeting, Donald Trump tweeted echoing the outbursts of solidarity, “Everyone wants to help! "