A newly joined member of the Conference of Religious, Fr Fadi Kmeid of the Lebanese Maronite Order, has issued the following urgent appeal on behalf of the suffering people of his homeland:
Dear Fellow Humanitarians,
Fr Fadi Kmeid
On the afternoon of August 4 th, the skyline of our beloved city, Beirut, was tainted. Our people’s bodies were dismantled, limb from limb, after a most devastating explosion. Bodies on the pavements, bodies on hospital floors, bodies decapitated in crushed and blown cars, bodies humiliatingly lying in the middle of the streets, violated by tragedy. Every single body was accompanied by a phone, being rung ruthlessly by loved ones praying it wasn’t their daughter, their son, their sibling, their parent, their relative, repulsively torn apart on the gravel of their homeland.
More than 200 people died and more than 6,000 were injured in the blast, according to the city's governor Marwan Abboud. The explosion was caused by more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the city's port.
Our people are crying. A mother’s scream is distinct one. Our 10,452 km 2 bellowed with shrieks and wails of women whose children have been ripped from their embrace. Children screeched at the sound of smashing glass and fallen roofs. The streets were filled with shards of glass. People’s homes surrendered to ruin. Several hospitals were shattered. Warehouses stocked with medical supplies, demolished. The port, our main mean of importing supplies, food, product, burned to ashes. Grain, a nutrient so basic yet so necessary, has been wiped from a six-month reserve storage. Our economy will crash even further.
The medical system is in turmoil because of the overriding pressure and lack of medical supply. Civilians are racing to hospitals to donate blood in the midst of a pandemic. A good number of local people are still missing, with hopeless alerts being sent around. If a mask was not being worn for the purpose of the pandemic, they are now being worn for the fright of getting poisoned through the soiled air. Despite all the distress being lived, our people still have the will to press the palms of their hands together and call for God.
Our country is bleeding. We are encountering a disturbance greater than all of us, and we cannot do it alone. The Lebanese Maronite Order has opened the doors to its monasteries and schools to house many nationals who have lost their homes and has medicated and cared for as many as seven hundred in its hospitals. It is our duty to help our people, and we very much hope that it is yours too. The donations will go to the LMO and ‘Solidarity Lebanon’ in order to raise a sufficient amount of donations to aid the vulnerable residents in restoring the homes they have lost to this disaster, as well as providing medical supplies, and food distribution.
They say Beirut represents a Phoenix, its glory shines exceptionally beyond the rest. It is a city that never sleeps. It is a city that is alive with energy, love, and laughter. Its seas never show fear and its streets never submit to the ordinary. And while it is in grief and sorrow, Beirut will rise from the ashes again, just like the resilient Phoenix it always has been.
While we are actively attempting to secure aid to our devastated nation, we need your help to make our efforts go even further. Your support is crucial to our efforts in reinforcing hope to our nation.
We thank you for taking the time to read our message and for any potential contributions you may present.
Fr Fadi Kmeid
Our Lady of Lebanon - UK
Lebanese Maronite Order
You can help us by donating to the below bank account:
Account Name: The Lebanese Maronite Order Charitable Trust
Bank Name : Bank of Beirut (UK) ltd
Bank address : 66 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6AE
Sort code : 60-83-75
Acc Number : 12 02 38 02
Purpose: : Aid to Beirut