2020 Beirut Appeal

Beirut Needs Your Help

Your donation will support Red Cross teams on the ground to provide life-saving assistance

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Image Credit: Nabil Mounzer

You can support Red Cross teams on the ground who are responding after a huge explosion destroyed the port area of Beirut on 4 August.

At least 200 people have died and more than 6,500 have been injured. More than 300,000 people have been displaced.

The eastern part of Beirut is decimated, hospitals are badly damaged, and are overwhelmed with the number of people needing help.

Our colleagues at Lebanese Red Cross have been on the ground helping since the beginning. Immediately following the blast they conducted search and rescues, provided urgent medical care, and transported the injured.

Their focus now is on helping people survive: through medical care, shelter, food and water, and cash assistance. They’re also supporting those experiencing trauma.

You Can Help

When you donate to our Beirut Explosion Appeal you will help Red Cross teams on the ground to provide immediate and longer-term humanitarian support to those affected by the explosion. That support may include:

Critical emergency relief assistance such as food, water, sanitation, shelter and health initiatives including first aid, ambulance services and blood;
Longer term assistance for Beirut’s recovery, with a focus on health, shelter, water and sanitation.
Support for our local partner, Lebanese Red Cross to rebuild its damaged buildings and equipment, and to safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beirut Explosion Appeal 2020

Your donation means the Red Cross Movement can be there to provide immediate and longer-term humanitarian support to people and communities affected by the explosion in Beirut.

Amount

$250

$100

$60

Custom amount $ Surprise us

About the Beirut Explosion Appeal

People concerned for the welfare of family and friends in the region, should first attempt to contact them directly. If the person overseas is an Australian citizen, they should call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (for enquirers in Australia) or +612 6261 3305 (for enquirers overseas). For other enquiries, contact our Tracing Service.

We really appreciate the generosity but we’re unable to accept or distribute donated goods.

Red Cross and agencies like the World Food Program are working hard to provide culturally appropriate food and supplies, based on what our local partner Lebanese Red Cross tells us is needed.

Sending goods, while well-meaning can sometimes do more harm than good. As with any country, all imports need to be verified and stored by custom officials. In Beirut, with a public service system that is already overstretched, under-resourced and dealing with a severe economic crisis, COVID-19 and now the explosion, any extra imports, such as your donated goods can create major delays including hindering the delivery of essential and life-saving relief items aid agencies are sending in.

Our experience with emergencies shows that donations of money, where possible, help affected communities recover sooner. This is because people can make their own choices – including purchasing the goods they need for their own families.

If you have collected goods already, we’d gratefully accept donations of clothing at our retail stores, to on-sell and raise funds to support our work. Visit redcross.org.au/stores to find out more.

Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible.

Australian Red Cross will not deduct more than 10 per cent of money raised to cover indirect administrative and appeal costs such as receipting donations, IT costs, costs to send funds overseas and overheads. Any interest earned on donations will be invested back into the appeal.

The need on the ground is very high, due to the number of people injured and affected. In the unlikely event that the funds raised exceed the amount required to meet community needs in affected areas or if there are changes in circumstances beyond Australian Red Cross’ control, excess funds will be directed to meet the needs of other vulnerable communities in disaster or crisis across the globe.