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A group focusing on young people’s needs says Beirut’s children are traumatised and need help.
The trauma is a result of the huge explosion that caused at least 180 deaths and 6,000 injuries.
Many of Beirut’s children are in need of psychological support, according to a delegation from the heart of the recovery effort.
Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in a live link to Beirut watched by hundreds on Wednesday (19th August), Youmna Yammine, part of the Youth of Hope group, said the people of Beirut need psychological, spiritual and emotional assistance.
“Help is also being given for mental health because some people need psychological attention at the moment, especially children.”
“Here we can see volunteers and NGOs trying to help the children and the adults who went through a traumatic experience. The help is being done by the people, for the people, through NGOs and the help is being done by volunteers.”
Yammine says Lebanon’s many recent crises have drained its people.
“We had the depreciation of the currency, this affected the income of the Lebanese people, for what used to be a good income is now basically nothing. Prices are rocketing.”
“After that came the pandemic … lots of people have lost their jobs…On August 4th came the explosion – the cherry on the top.”
“Lebanese people are really tired,” Yammine says.
“They need psychological support and religious support because it has been a lot to deal with in a very short period of time.”
AACN project partner Monsignor Toufic Bou-Hadir says despite all the suffering in Beirut there is a lot of hope.
“The convents and churches opened their doors to receive the displaced people to say to them that in spite of this catastrophe, God is here, God is love, and hope is here,” he says.
Bou-Hadir also spoke of the help Beirut has received from all over the world, saying: “God always shows us with this solidarity that the light of hope always shines. Beirut will be reborn.”
“Thank you to ACN… and all of the benefactors all over the world. We really appreciate this solidarity, this brotherhood, this friendship which lasts forever.”
The National Director of ACN (UK), says ACN’s supporters responded to the Beirut explosion with an outpouring of generosity.
“We have been overwhelmed by the initial response by our benefactors from Aid to the Church in Need.”
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