HUAAL fundraiser for USJ and NDN - August 4th explosion
HUAAL fundraiser for USJ and NDN - August 4th explosion
A terrible explosion took place at the Beirut port on August 4, 2020 shaking Lebanon and our community to its core. It is probably the largest explosion in a civilian area since World War II. Whole neighborhoods in Beirut were ravaged by the blast - Mar Mikhael, Gemayzeh, Ashrafieh, Rmeil, Dora and Downtown - have been demolished. Hundreds of people have been killed or mutilated and hundreds of thousands displaced. All the pillars of society including homes, schools, universities, churches, mosques and businesses have been damaged or destroyed. The catastrophe could not have taken place at a worse time for Lebanon which was already going through the most debilitating financial and economic crisis in its history, with banking financial controls preventing depositors from withdrawing their money or transferring it abroad and local currency devaluation reaching 80%. This heinous act is a crime against humanity.
The HUAAL is fundraising for the educational sector badly damaged by the blast. We believe that this initiative is vital because the young Lebanese are immigrating in the tens of thousands and the trend will only increase if the schools and universities are not in a condition to open in the fall. Many Lebanese, even before the blast, could not afford to support their children’s education because of the 2020 economic and financial collapse amplified by Covid-19. Our educational system is one of the main pillars of Lebanese society and among the best in the region and we need to support it during these very challenging times. As representatives of Harvard Alumni in Lebanon, please help us help the education sector get back on its feet.