Donations could be sent by e-transfer to e-mail address: nutribox4leb@gmail.com
On October 17th, large-scale protests erupted in Lebanon as a response, in part, to bad living conditions. 1 month, 3 weeks and 3 days later, the country is in turmoil and the conditions have been worsening. Since the beginning of the protests, the Lebanese pound, which was fixed in value with respect to USD since 1997 (1 USD = 1,500 LBP) has been fluctuating wildly in value on the black market. Banks have been limiting cash withdrawals to 200 USD per week (yes, people don’t have free access to their hard earned cash). International credit agencies have labelled Lebanon high risk, which has caused some trade issues. In essence, money has lost value, goods have increased in prices over 30% and salaries are being reduced and people are being fired. As a result, the average Lebanese is having a VERY tough time. Suicides have been on the rise and all sorts of social issues have appeared.
The NutriBox initiative came as a result of hearing the stories of hungry children and parents that are committing suicide because they feel in despair about not being able to provide for their children. A team of two Lebanese Canadians, Elie Karam and Rola Dali, are collecting donations to distribute basic food boxes to poor families in Lebanon. The boxes contain basic starches and beans (see poster for content) and cost 50$.
The process is a humanitarian chain connecting Canada to Lebanon through volunteers. Money is collected here in Canada and transferred to Lebanon to the wholesaler who buys food, boxes it and delivers it to charitable organizations, who then distribute it to those in need. Boxes are shipped in batches of 30-50 to different drop off locations across the country. The first 40 boxes have been delivered to Beirut. There are 30 boxes destined to Alei, 50 destined to Bekaa and another 50 or so destined to Tripoli through the Scouts. As more donations are collected, drop-off points will be assigned across the Lebanese map.
Our country needs us. Our people need us. If you have the capacity to eat three meals a day, remember that that has become a privilege to many. Please Help.
100 % of the money donated is going to buying food. The work done by the teams in Canada and Lebanon is on a volunteer basis.
Progress can be tracked on a Facebook page:
Support Lebanon: the NutriBox initiative
Donations can be tracked on: tinyurl.com/nutribox
Donations could be sent by e-transfer to e-mail address: nutribox4leb@gmail.com
