Firefighters carry the coffins of their comrades who were killed in the August 4 explosion
The Associação Internacional de Filantropia (Macau) is launching a fundraising campaign aiming to provide financial support to the people of Lebanon, namely those recently affected by the explosions in the port of Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut.
The explosions that killed over 200 people and destroyed a significant part of the city also left an estimated 300,000 people homeless. This exacerbates the pre-existing difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the local association, founded and presided over by Lurdes de Sousa, reminded in conversation with the Times.
To help to tackle the existing problems in a country already suffering from financial and economic strain, and the recent health crisis, the Association has started a campaign using the crowdfunding platform “GoFundMe,” aiming to collect money that will be given to a Lebanese non-profit non-governmental association working on the ground, by the name of Achrafieh2020.
“I have had a strong link to Lebanon for over 30 years and since I know the people on the ground [Achrafieh2020], I talked with them and we decided to do something to help,” de Sousa said.
“It is the first time that such a campaign has been carried out in Macau. I expect that the response [from people in Macau] will be positive. Although Macau is not used to contributing to international or more unknown causes, if Macau wants to be an international city it must also be one in international solidarity,” de Sousa added, noting that Macau residents are “supportive and generous.”
Explaining the campaign in more detail, the president of the local association said, “[using the GoFundMe platform] we will circulate the campaign internationally and there will be a great outreach even in the Lebanese diaspora that I know well. This campaign is to help [Achrafieh2020] […] and all funds will be directly transferred to them without any intermediaries.”
For the philanthropist, the aid must arrive as quickly as possible, as the current humanitarian situation in Lebanon is serious.
According to the campaign organizer, Achrafieh2020 “is now supporting 1,100 families with food, logistics, medical help, drug prescriptions, and social care, and has committed to repairing 5,000 windows and doors damaged by the blast to allow displaced families to return to their homes.”
International donations will be available through the website “gofundme.com/f/helplebanon2020” with local donations facilitated by a specially dedicated page at “artofgiving.org.mo/helplebanon2020.”
The status of donations as well as the projects for which the funds are being used will be also published on the Association’s website, de Sousa told the Times.
Macau Daily Times is the official media partner of the Associação Internacional de Filantropia.
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