On 4 August a sudden explosion tore through the port of Beirut, Lebanon as the shock wave raced through densely populated areas. Nearly 150 people have lost their lives and more than 5,000 people have been injured.
More than 750,000 people have been affected by this terrible disaster which has left families on the streets with no food, shelter or emergency medical care.
Across the city of Beirut, neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble by the blast, along with hospitals and crucial stores containing around 85% of the country’s grain and medical supplies.
Homes and businesses have been flattened to the ground, windows shattered, and doors knocked down.
Approximately 300,000 people are now homeless.
Please help those who have lost everything.
As the country sinks further into severe economic collapse, half the population already face starvation, unable to access basic goods including medicine. Thousands have seen their livelihoods disappear.
This explosion has made a most dire situation worse.
Christian Aid's response
Our local partners Basmeh & Zeitooneh and Mouvement Social are in the most affected areas clearing rubble and reaching out to families who were already vulnerable before the explosion. Together, with your help, we are:
- Distributing food, water, hygiene and disinfection materials as well as clothes, mattresses, and blankets.
- Helping affected households to access medicine and health services.
- Mobilising volunteers to remove rubble in the places most damaged by the explosion.
- Referring families to temporary shelters and providing minor repairs for homes including carpentry and electrical fixes.
Lebanon Crisis Appeal
Please donate now to help families affected by the Beirut explosion who need urgent support.
Let us pray
In the devastation and loss, we pray for peace and comfort for those suffering in Beirut. In times of crises, all acts of compassion, big and small, can make a world of difference. Please help those who have lost everything today.
God, our refuge in times of trouble
we pray for our brothers and sisters in Beirut today.
Lord, be with the emergency services as they battle to help the thousands injured.
Lord, hold those who have lost loved ones in the palm of your hand.
Lord, we pray your provision for poor and marginalised communities who face an even more uncertain future.
Lord, we pray for wisdom for leaders as they make difficult decisions.
Lord, open our hearts - may they be full of compassion for the suffering we see.
Stir us to action.
In the tragedy of loss,
we pray your comfort.
In the chaos and injury,
we pray your calm and divine healing.
In the devastation and the heartbreak,
we pray your peace.
We pray that in the despair that lies amid the rubble of the explosion
there will be glimmers of hope and life.
