A list curated by Seenaryo’s Co-Director, Victoria Lupton
Donate to disaster relief initiatives
Many friends from outside Lebanon have been messaging to ask me how they can support the cleanup effort – thank you.
Do try to give to locally-led efforts, driven by the people; it is the people who will rebuild.
Here’s a list of organisations I would recommend.
Egna Legna Besidet: Fundraising for food and medicine for domestic workers affected by the explosion. Community-based feminist organisation working in Lebanon and Ethiopia and led by a former domestic worker. https://www.gofundme.com/f/food-and-medicine-for-kafala-vic…
Offre Joie: youth-led, volunteer-led initiative to clean and rebuild homes and provide temporary housing https://www.givingloop.org/offrejoie
Lebanese Red Cross: the main provider of ambulance services in Lebanon https://www.supportlrc.app/donate/
Rise Up Lebanon: Crowdfunder set up by Lebanese professionals to support small businesses affected (bakeries, hair salons, sandwich shops etc each with 4-6 employees) https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/riseuplebanon…
Donner Sang Compter: matching urgent blood requests with volunteer blood donors https://www.givingloop.org/dsc
Matbakh El Balad: group of volunteer activists running food distribution. NB: this is not an NGO but I know them well and vouch for their trustworthiness. https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/impact-lebanon-cook…
Lebanese Food Bank: national campaign against hunger https://donate.lebanesefoodbank.org/
FoodBlessed: locally-run, volunteer-led initiative fighting food waste and reducing hunger by partnering with businesses and citizens https://foodblessed.org/about/
SEAL Emergency Fund 2020: diaspora-led fundraising for local organisations to deliver relief. In partnership with LIFE, LebNet, Impact Lebanon and Lebanon Foundation. https://seal-usa.org/BeirutEmergencyFund
Impact Lebanon: transparent, diaspora-led crowdfunder to provide disaster relief https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lebanon-relief…
Arc En Ciel: well-run and enterprising Lebanese development organisation https://www.arcenciel.org/donate/
Beit El Baraka: supporting struggling older people with food, housing and medical supplies https://www.beitelbaraka.org/
Art Relief For Beirut: selling donated artworks on Instagram to benefit Impact Lebanon, Lebanese Red Cross and other disaster relief organisations https://www.instagram.com/artrelief4beirut/…
Finally, please consider that Lebanon is in the midst of economic and political crises whose human and financial cost may be less visible, but is as devastating as the explosion. Beyond disaster relief, initiatives working towards longer-term change – supporting small businesses, education, political rights and activism, etc – will need support in the months and years to come. In a post-Covid global recession, these longer-term projects will be harder and harder to fund. Please remember Lebanon even once this outpouring of support dies down.
Donate to arts, culture and community initiatives who have suffered
We send love to all our friends and colleagues in the arts here in Beirut – many of them devastated by the explosion last week. Beirut thrives because of its cultural scene. In times of crisis, arts are needed more than ever: to reflect, process, and rebuild.
Necessarily, the disaster response focuses first on food, shelter and medical help for the 300,000 left homeless and the thousands injured. But the cultural sector will not recover – possibly ever – without our help.
Please consider supporting artists and initiatives who have suffered severe damages to their homes, venues and archives from the explosion. All of these initiatives have enriched Beirut’s culture and creative community and nurtured emerging talent. Now, they need our help…
Campaign for arts and culture community led by AFAC – The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (organizations and spaces to be selected based on urgency of needs): https://www.givingloop.org/afac
Beirut Art Fund led by Mophradat (selections to prioritize the most disadvantaged and focus on lasting consequences and thoughtful community impact): http://mophradat.org/beirut-art-fund/
The Arab Image Foundation, one of the most important photography archives in the region: http://arabimagefoundation.org/getEntityFront…
Independent bookstore Papercup, design studio and publisher Studio Safar, and DJ and music producer Jana Saleh: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-our-friends-rebuild-their-s…
Modern art museum and exhibition space Sursock Museum: https://sursock.museum/content/become-friend-sursock-museum
Independent bookstore Aaliya’s Books: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/aaliyas-books
For more links on rebuilding Beirut’s arts and culture community: https://docs.google.com/…/1H40k6Q9jbiBH6syUDlcn…/mobilebasic
Theater Relief Group in Lebanon: https://www.facebook.com/Theater.Relief.Lebanon/
We will continue to update the list as more campaigns are launched.
Photo from Galerie Tanit, Mar Mikhail, in the building designed by Jean-Marc Bonfils who was killed in the explosion.