Looking Towards The Future: After #GivingTuesday
Beirut and Beyond Contributor: Micala Khavari
Like the rest of 2020, leading up to this year’s #GivingTuesday for Beirut and Beyond has been challenging, to say the least. We've had to rethink how we do Palestinian Refugee 101 classes, and our cooking with Palestinians classes as well. Perhaps the most frustrating was that we were prevented from visiting Palestinians in Jordan and Lebanon and connecting with our partner organizations. Still, throughout this turbulent year, we’ve witnessed some pretty generous giving from the Beirut and Beyond community after the Beirut blast and from this #GivingTuesday. Through giving this year, we were able to support Palestinians as they faced the threat of Covid; the sickness itself, unemployment, lack of healthcare, and a lack of rights for many refugees in their host countries. That's a lot to tackle, but here’s the breakdown of how you helped us support Palestinians this year.
After the blast in Beirut on August 4th, Beirut and Beyond raised 15,000 dollars that contributed to buying two ambulances for the Palestinian Civil Defense in Lebanon (PCDL) or Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD). The PCDL offers disaster relief, not only for Palestinians but for the people in the disaster-affected area. The organization is completely donor and volunteer supported, which emphasizes the impact of our contribution. Beginning in March we also supported the Palestinian Civil Defense as they managed Covid relief efforts. The Palestinian Civil Defense also has partnered with Ahlam Lajeh Association (which supports Palestinian education in Lebanon) to make masks in the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon.
Through our yearly giving, we've also joined Hopes for Women to fully fund the salary of the librarian, Wala’a in the Gaza Palestinian refugee camp. Hopes for Women In Education primarily focuses on providing education and mentorship programs for refugee women in Jordan. For our part, we help contribute to the maintenance and running of the library in the Gaza Palestinian refugee camp. The importance of Wala’a’s salary is especially important in the era of Covid. With Wala’a’s help, the library can digitize books and resources for women to access them from whatever technology available. She's also able to help cultivate community and mentorships through leading book clubs and staying in contact with patrons of the library. Also, in the Gaza Camp, we’ve supported food packages in response to the economic difficulties that Covid has brought.
Moving into the new year, we invite you to continue to help us support these missions and the vision of Palestinian security. Security for protection from Covid, the security of employment for Palestinians in Jordan and Lebanon, security to supplement the human rights Palestinians are denied. While we would appreciate your donation to continue our fundraising during #GivingTuesday we know that in the time of Covid monetary donations aren't the best choice for your support right now. Instead, keep a lookout this year for announcements for our book club and our Palestinian Refugee 101 class. Our website is also full of resources to learn about Palestinian refugees to check-out. Even if you just watched one of the movies, read one book, you’re moving towards an awareness that many people never expose themselves to. We know that the world also seems like it’s on fire nowadays, so caring about one more thing can seem like too much and the plight of Palestinians probably seems far away. We know this, and while we’re not asking you to commit totally to only caring about Palestinian issues, we ask you to spend a minute to consider the tragedy of what Palestinians have endured for generations being mostly stateless. Join us in our vision is to empower Palestinian refugees through supporting institutions and securities they are denied from their host countries.
Micala Khavari has been Beirut and Beyond's intern since May 2020. She is an International Studies Major at the University of Denver with minors in Writing Practices and Religious Studies. She has a heart for the Middle East, immigration, and talking your ear off about both! She also makes the weekly Friday Facts posts for Beirut and Beyond and looks forward to being B&B's intern as long she can.