Beit El Baraka
Beit el Baraka is a Lebanon based charity with a support program that assists decent Lebanese families living in strong financial distress. We are trying to restrain the fall into poverty of a disappearing middle class.
Our Mission is to ensure dignity to hard working Lebanese citizens by assisting them in their struggle with the increasing cost of living. In a spirit of respect and support, we give them access to food, decent livelihood, medical services and education.
Our Vision is a Lebanon where families can live a secure, valued and respectable life with access to social security, education and retirement pensions for all.
Due to the lack of measures and lack of government support addressing this alarming situation, we felt the dire need to step in, and protect the lebanese family, all the while empowering youth, and women.
To date, our database of beneficiaries comprises 226,000 people in need
A glance at our 4 services:
1. Decent housing:
We refurbish the homes of our beneficiaries in order to provide decent living standards. We also settle unpaid bills (rent, electricity and water) for families of retirees.
Our impact: We are rehabilitating 3,011 homes and 320 small businesses devastated by the explosion. Our level our intervention covers the complete rehabilitation of structurally damaged homes and is done in very close collaboration with the Lebanese Army and the United Nations.
2. Medical support:
Our medical support program fully covers treatment and medicine needs for our members.
Our impact: We have 682 patients being treated for cancer, dialysis, diabetes, arthritis, glaucoma, osteoporosis, cataract, macular degeneration, and cardiovascular diseases; we also cover dental, hearing aids and prosthesis surgeries.
3. A free supermarket:
In February 2019, we opened an elegant free supermarket based on a system of points which makes our members feel they are "shopping", not seeking charity. Giving someone the freedom of choice means giving them dignity.
Our impact: We put food on the table of 226,000 people in need from all over Lebanon. And we have been vetted by international FMCG corporations such as P&G, Unilever, Nestlé, Henkel, Pepsi, Danone...
And in order to sustain our food aid program, we decided to launch our agrofarming project. The sequential governments that impoverished Lebanon had no vision of a sustainable productive nation. Lebanon imports 80% of its food, and produces less than 10% of its needs in grains. And with no access to foreign currency, the risk of food shortage is now very high. Therefore, we have invested in agriculture and we are growing grains, vegetables and fruits. We also built a farm of sheep, cows and chickens, and 100 beehives for organic honey.
Our impact: We are able to launch our own line of food products, create jobs that empower women in rural areas, cater to thousands of beneficiaries, and offer them healthy fresh produce. By offering fresh organic produce, our beneficiaries's health improves and consequently, our medical fees are reduced.
In all our food bags and food boxes distributed all across Lebanon, we insert leaflets on which is written in arabic:
"Nutrition is a human right, and should never be used as a tool to yield votes".
4. Education
We want to instill hope in children so they know it is possible to achieve what and who they aspire to become. We are paying tuitions, buying laptops and installing internet in students' homes.
Our impact: supporting 3,095 families to allow their children to continue their education. We have set up a micro loans program to assist the most talented graduates in launching their own start ups in Lebanon, and thus create jobs.
We've also set up a psychological support unit for adults and children by partnering with specialised Swiss therapists. Some affected people are particularly unable to cope with the scope of the tragedy and can easily develop PTSD and bad coping mechanisms.
We cover the entire lebanese territory: 42% Greater Beirut, 28% South Lebanon, 30% North Lebanon.
Our major achievement remains our ability to keep our overheads at 2% of the total budget, proving how keen we are on optimizing every donation.
We are regularly audited and our numbers are published on our website.
Beit el Baraka is a Lebanon based charity registered in Beirut by decree number 2277 and a 501(c)3 status- Beit el Baraka USA, handled by the global law firm Morgan Lewis.
COLLECTED TO DATE
COLLECTED TO DATE
$30
