At Seenaryo, as we launch this fundraiser, the majority of our team in Lebanon have been forced to leave their homes by the dramatic escalation of Israeli bombardment across the country. We have participants whose family members have been killed, and our partners are requesting urgent support for families now living in shelters.
In the space of three weeks, Lebanon has seen a million people displaced and nearly two thousand people killed by Israeli strikes – leaving the entire population living in utter terror of what’s to come.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will match the funds raised here 2:1 to support Seenaryo's work on the ground, by an amount of up to EUR 100,000, subject to the terms and conditions of the EBRD Community Initiative.
Seenaryo’s rapid response
As the situation has rapidly deteriorated, our team has been putting together plans for a rapid response. We have been connecting with our wide community of partners and participants across Lebanon to assess their most urgent needs in order to know how we can best support them.
Our conversations have shed light on a significant lack of support for the under-served communities we work with – such as Syrians and migrant domestic workers. Out of 107 participants we surveyed, 43% are displaced and 96% have received no support at all. With thousands of people left stranded, our communities are struggling to find safety: they urgently need shelter, transportation to safe areas, winter clothing, mattresses and fuel for heating.
Beyond today, people in Lebanon will need more than just shelter and food. They will need dignity, hope and a space to heal. There are also hundreds of thousands of children who are now living in makeshift shelters in schools and abandoned buildings, and not accessing any education at all. At Seenaryo, we know that mental health and education are basic needs. So we are putting in place plans to provide psychosocial support through theatre and play-based education for children whose education has been put on hold.
If we can gather enough funds we plan to:
- Support the relief effort by connecting our communities who are stranded to safe transportation and shelter provided by other civil society organisations - or covering the costs of basic essentials where needed.
- Implement play-based learning activities with children who are out of school (schools are closed and so far 700 schools have been turned into shelters for displaced people).
- Run theatre for psychosocial support in centres around Lebanon – using movement, creativity and breathing exercises to offer coping mechanisms.
Why should I give to Seenaryo?
The funding needs of our communities in Lebanon are immense and in these difficult global times, the necessary international support simply isn’t available to support the need. In addition, it can be hard for people in the UK, the US and internationally to get money to civil society organisations working on the ground in Lebanon. Seenaryo is a registered UK charity and every donation to this fundraiser is eligible for Gift Aid. Additionally, we have a fiscal sponsorship arrangement with a US foundation, making donations eligible for US tax deductions. If you are a US taxpayer, please contact us on [email protected] to enquire about tax-efficient giving.
We are a grassroots civil society organisation with the low overheads that our size implies, locally registered in Lebanon and with a team of over 85 people on the ground in the country. All funds raised through this emergency Crowdfunder will be earmarked for our emergency work in Lebanon.
You can make a difference!
In order to be able to offer this vital support to our community in Lebanon – both in the here and now, and for the longer term – we need your help.
Please donate today and share our campaign with your friends, families and colleagues.
www.seenaryo.org | Follow us! @seenary0
Read our 2023 Impact Report here