| Friday 14th August 2020 Dear Friends, SPECIAL BLA APPEAL In the wake of last week’s devastating explosion in Beirut, the British Lebanese Association is determined to do everything it can to help the relief effort. We have received a number of donations via the PayPal link which we have added to the BLA’s website. We are most grateful to those who have already contributed. However, given the appalling consequences – both immediate and longer term – of the disaster that has befallen Beirut in a country already in crisis, we want to be able to do much more. We are therefore launching this special appeal to all our friends and supporters. If you can help, please visit our website at https://www.britishlebanese.org and click on the donate button or if you prefer to donate by bank transfer: Account Name: British Lebanese Association Bank Name Bank of Beirut (UK) Ltd 66 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6AE Sort code 60-83-75 Account number 04193404 We are most grateful for every donation, whether great or small, and will make sure your contributions are put to the best possible use. We will work only with Lebanese charities and humanitarian organisations that we know and trust or have carefully vetted. We are channelling our initial funding through three organisations who we know will ensure that your funding goes to those who need it most: Bassma, Food Blessed and Embrace. Bassma https://www.bassma.org/ BASSMA’s mission is to rehabilitate and empower the most deprived families to reach self-sufficiency (founded in 2002). They work on access to Food, Water, Clothing, Education, Employment, HealthCare, Housing, Safe and Secure Environment, and Decent Living Standards. Food Blessed https://foodblessed.org/ Food Blessed is a hunger relief initiative in Lebanon (founded in 2012). They work with strategic partners – including food and non-food companies – through recovering surplus food from events, organizing food drives, and fundraiser events to collect food (which includes surplus perishable food and non-perishable food items) and distribute it to local non-profit partners in need. Embrace https://embracelebanon.org/ Embrace seeks to better inform the community about mental illness, break the stigma, provide support to those affected, and help foster a resilient and emotionally healthy community which cares for the mental wellbeing of its young and old (founded in 2013). They launched the Embrace Lifeline – the national emotional support and suicide prevention helpline in Lebanon. We are vetting several other charities and would welcome any suggestions you may have. We have always been deeply impressed by the extraordinary generosity of our friends and supporters. But never has Lebanon been more in need of your help. Yours sincerely, |
