Help feed displaced Palestinians and Lebanese

Emergency

Help feed displaced Palestinians and Lebanese
Why We Need Your Help: The situation in Lebanon has drastically worsened. Recent conflict has caused mass displacement, forcing thousands of families—including from refugee camps in southern Lebanon—to flee to Beirut. Shatila camp, where the NGO Ahlam Lajea ('Dreams of a Refugee' in Arabic) is based, is overwhelmed by new arrivals, and the most vulnerable families are in urgent need of assistance. We - a group of Irish friends of the founders of a Palestinian NGO in Beirut- are raising emergency funds to provide food for these families. Here’s how your donation can make a real impact: - $50 provides a food basket with essential dry goods and cooking oil to sustain a family for two weeks. - $100 supplies enough dry goods (Rice, pasta etc and cooking oil) to last a family an entire month. $300 can stock a daily public kitchen that will serve up to 1000 hot meals per day, with Ahlam Lajea’s volunteers and kitchen ready to prepare and distribute them. As the situation evolves, additional needs may arise, such as medical care or hygiene supplies. We’ll keep this page updated with how your donations are helping. Who is Ahlam Lajea? Ahlam Lajea is a grassroots NGO founded by young Palestinians in the Shatila camp in 2011. Officially registered with the Lebanese Ministry of Interior as an NGO, Ahlam Lajea has carried out projects funded by international donors, including from the UK, and has helped over 10,000 Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese individuals. Their work normally focuses on: - Education services for children in Shatila camp (in Beirut suburbs) - Gender-based violence prevention - Sustainable waste management that creates jobs for both Palestinian camp residents & Lebanese neighbours - Supporting the Palestinian Civil Defence, the only emergency service available in the camps They also provide emergency relief, like after the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, when they delivered life-saving aid to those in desperate need. They also provide food support to those in need (Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese in the locality of Shatila camp) in the form of weekly or month distributions, and food kitchens that provide hot meals. Background Information According to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), between 250,000 and 400,000 Palestinian refugees are currently living in Lebanon. The first refugees arrived in 1948, with more waves following over the decades. This includes approximately 30,000 Palestinians who fled Syria more recently, during the ongoing civil war. Today, around half of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in overcrowded, deteriorating conditions in 12 refugee camps originally set up in the late 1940s for short-term use. After more than 70 years, these families remain refugees, as Lebanon has not granted them citizenship or equal rights. This includes comprehensive labour rights, severely limiting their ability to build better futures. According to a 2022 UNRWA survey, 93% of Palestinians in Lebanon live in poverty. How You Can Make a Difference Your generosity can provide immediate food relief relief and help sustain families through this crisis. Every dollar counts in supporting those who need it most! Thank you for your kindness and support!

$0 raised Of $10,000

Help a Queer Couple Launch Their Catering Business

Emergency

Help a Queer Couple Launch Their Catering Business
Hello, my name is Ali. I want to share a personal story. Recently, I faced a life-threatening situation when my father discovered my sexuality and pointed a rifle at me in a fit of rage. My mother’s attempts to intervene were half-hearted, leaving me trapped in my own bedroom. Eventually, she called him away, giving me a chance to escape. I left my home with nothing, relying on borrowed money from friends to secure a small rented room. In the midst of this hardship, something incredible happened—I met Moataz. He, too, had fled from a similar situation at home in Syria, and together, we found solace in each other. We bonded over our shared experiences and a mutual love for cooking. From this bond, an idea was born: Lunch Box. Lunch Box is more than just a catering business—it’s a symbol of our resilience and a step toward reclaiming our lives. We aim to share delicious, home-cooked meals with our community, prepared in our own kitchen. Operating as an openly LGBTQ-run business in a challenging environment, we aim to stand proud and create a space where we—and others like us—can thrive. But we can’t do this alone. We need your support to turn this dream into reality. Your donations will help us secure a safe home, purchase the necessary kitchen equipment, and cover our living expenses as we establish Lunch Box. By supporting us, you’re not just contributing to the start of a business—you’re helping us build a foundation for a brighter, safer future for ourselves and the LGBTQ community in a place where being ourselves is an act of courage. Please consider donating to help us build a brighter, safer future. Thank you for your support.

$0 raised Of $3,000

Help the children of Lebanese Mothers

Emergency

Help the children of Lebanese Mothers
MASIR, a leading Lebanese NGO since 2012, advocates for families affected by Lebanon’s gender-discriminatory nationality laws and supports marginalized communities. Lebanese laws prevent children of Lebanese women married to foreigners from automatically acquiring Lebanese nationality, leaving many stateless and without basic rights. Our work with these families, particularly those with Syrian fathers, reveals a dire issue: many children of Lebanese mothers impacted by gender-discriminatory nationality laws lack identity cards, relying on individual documents or passports for residency permits. Recent Lebanese regulations have made securing these permits nearly impossible without proper identification. Economic hardships and high costs for Syrian passports exacerbate their plight, leaving them exposed to dangerous risks and worsening their living conditions. In addition, the threat of deportation to conflict-ridden Syria due to their lack of documentation poses additional threats to these children’s safety. To tackle this pressing issue, MASIR is launching a campaign to support 50 individuals in its first phase. Our goals are to: 1. Cover the fees for “zeyaret Qotor”, a special permission issued by the Syrian embassy. This permission allows people to travel to Syria to obtain essential documents or address legal matters that require their physical presence. 2. Fund travel to Syria for document procurement. 3. Cover the costs of obtaining identity documents and passports in Syria. 4. Fund their return to Lebanon with the necessary documentation to prevent statelessness. Your support can provide these vulnerable individuals with legal identity and security. Donate now to make a difference and help ensure a safer future. For more information on our work, visit our website at http://masir.org.

$0 raised Of $30,000

Help Kaia Fight Epilepsy

Emergency

Help Kaia Fight Epilepsy
Dear friends and supporters, Meet Kaia, our brave 17-month-old daughter diagnosed with refractory epilepsy —the first known case in Lebanon. This rare condition has led to developmental delays and severe, refractory seizures. Kaia had her first seizure at just three months old, resulting in her first hospital admission. Since then, she has been on a challenging medical journey. Kaia relies on different medications, a feeding tube, and various types of therapies. She continues to have weekly or biweekly hospital visits and has experienced prolonged seizures lasting 40 and 20 minutes, respectively. These status seizures necessitate the use of rescue medication to prevent brain damage or death. Unfortunately, due to the situation in Lebanon, we face numerous challenges in obtaining these medications, including the rescue medication. This has been an incredibly stressful journey for our family. Recently, Kaia was admitted to the PICU twice for pneumonia. She is now on an ND-tube due to weakness in eating and failure to thrive. Kaia is non-verbal, has hypotonia, and cannot sit or walk. There is no adequate support or inclusion for her needs at the country level. Despite these immense challenges, Kaia continues to fight with incredible strength and courage. We are reaching out for your support to help us cover her mounting medical expenses, including ongoing hospital visits, treatments, and specialized care. All her medications must be bought from abroad, and future medications will heavily burden our family financially. Kaia's required medications, therapies, and equipment include(Currently and within the upcoming months): - Keppra 100mg/ml is no longer available in Lebanon. - Clobazam is not available in Lebanon. - Depakine. - Stiripentol is not available in Lebanon, with a monthly cost of 175 euros. - Finfloramine, which will require Kaia to travel abroad to try the medication, as it is highly controlled (around 10,000USD administered in Lebanon) - Rivotril and Valium as rescue medications. - Physiotherapy, psychomotor, occupational therapy, and feeding therapy on a monthly basis. - Monthly feeding machine rentals and feeding bags costs.ETC These are the main monthly expenses needed to ensure Kaia has access to the necessary medication and care. Along with long hospital stays, we also urgently use machines such as a suction machine, pulse oximeter, and oxygen. In addition, our house needs modifications to accommodate Kaia’s disabilities, as well as specialized equipment for her rare case, which doesn't exist in Lebanon. Part of this campaign aims to highlight Kaia's case alongside the nearly 20 to 40 reported cases worldwide. By doing so, we hope to raise awareness among research institutions, physicians, and caregivers about our existence. We encourage other caregivers to come forward and advocate for a treatment and, ultimately, a cure. Your generosity will make a significant difference in Kaia's life and help us provide her with the best possible care. Thank you for your kindness and support. Follow Kaia's journey on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kaia_foundation?igsh=MWxxNTQ3aWJkd2Z3 With gratitude,

$5,998 raised Of $300,000