News Digest: The world scrambles to aid Lebanon in the aftermath of Beirut Explosion

This week, we tackle the aftermath of the massive explosion that shook Lebanon’s capital Beirut on August 4.

The cataclysmic blast at Beirut’s port claimed the lives of at least 171 people and injured around 6,500 others. About half the city was left damaged or destroyed, with hundreds of thousands made homeless. As the explosion sank Beirut even further into the depths of Lebanon’s economic crisis, few will be able to afford to repair or rebuild their homes.

The tragedy has revived anger at a political elite whose alleged negligence has been blamed for the blast, as reports suggest the authorities knew for years of the presence of dangerous stocks of ammonium nitrate that triggered the explosion, close to the residential, commercial and cultural heart of Beirut.

With the absence of a proactive government, Beirut’s residents assembled task forces to care for each other and rebuild their city. As the world mourned with Lebanon, donations poured in for NGOs engaging in direct relief efforts on the ground. One of them is London-based Impact Lebanon, a little known organisation that has quickly mobilised to lead the overseas appeal for aid to Beirut.

The New Arab spoke to to Impact Lebanon co-founder Diana Abbas, who says her organization felt a responsibility to take action amid the initial confusion of the devastating explosion.

At the time of this episode’s release, Impact Lebanon has already exceeded £5 million in donations on its fundraiser for Beirut. The organization has since raised its target to £7.5 million. Should our listeners want to make a donation, they can find the fundraiser on the websites of Impact Lebanon and JustGiving, or by clicking here.

To read The New Arab’s full profile of Impact Lebanon, click here

Make sure to follow The New Arab’s coverage of the Beirut blast on our website www.newarab.co.uk and social media channels

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This episode was hosted and produced by Danya Hajjaji, and researched by Narjas Zatat. Music by Omar al-Fil @elepheel. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email multimedia.english@alaraby.co.uk)

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