It has been nearly a year since the Beirut bombing in Lebanon. Caritas International held an online seminar on the afternoon of July 30 to introduce Beirut’s current tragic situation and call on the international community to continue to support the Beirut people in disaster.
(Vatican News Network)It has been nearly a year since the Beirut bombings in Lebanon took place. Caritas International held an online seminar on the afternoon of July 30 to introduce the tragic current situation of the people in Beirut. Don’t stop caring.
The Beirut bombing occurred on August 4, 2020, resulting in a tragedy of 204 deaths, 6,500 injuries and 300,000 internally displaced persons. According to statistics from UNICEF, by March 2021, more than 30% of Lebanese families have at least one child eating only two meals a day, and 77% of families do not have enough food.
Ms. Rita Rhayem, consultant of Lebanon International Planning, reminded in the seminar that the fuel crisis has hit all Lebanese enterprises and threatened the country’s production and transportation. Fuel subsidies have been cut, causing prices to rise by about 80%, and inflation soaring, which currently exceeds 40%.
Ms. Reyem said that the economic crisis has not spared the medical industry. She said: “An important public hospital implements electricity rationing and turns off air conditioning, even if the temperature rises in summer.” In June, the number of positive infections of the new coronavirus increased, and important medical equipment and medicines were extremely scarce. “Many medical staff resigned, and some emigrated to other countries in search of better opportunities. This further exacerbated the crisis of medical and health institutions.” Due to the lack of government funding, 80% of Catholic schools may be closed before the end of the school year. At Catholic schools, the amount of tuition owed is as high as 32 million U.S. dollars. In addition, the refugees and people in Lebanon continue to be negatively affected by the prolonged civil war in Syria.
Faced with such a dilemma, Caritas Lebanon has made great efforts. The rescue operations of the Caritas are due to many aids from abroad. In emergencies, Caritas distributed 17,000 cold meals and 245,000 hot meals; received more than 7,700 visits; nearly 2,000 check-ups, more than 4,600 medical care, and more than 1,500 emergency psychological counseling support. In the next few months, thousands of houses will be rebuilt in Beirut and more than 2,000 shops will reopen.
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