Coffee, soap and a new business

When Hanaa Moubarak says that the explosion in the port of Beirut “destroyed everything,” it was no exaggeration.

Hanaa, 39 years old, was living in Karantina with her husband and three young children when the explosion upended their lives. Since then, the family has been trying to rebuild.

Everyone was injured after the explosion and needed time to heal. Their apartment was so badly damaged they actually had to relocate. After losing their jobs, Hanaa and her husband decided to start their own business.

The family is now living in a small, ground floor apartment. Hanaa and her husband have turned the front entrance of their apartment into a small shop where they sell coffee, hookah and manakish.

With the money they make, they buy food for their children, which gets harder and harder every day because of inflation.

Mohamad Abbas, Hanaa’s husband, lost his job at the start of the economic crisis. He remembers how secure their lives were when he had a good, stable income, and how different their lives look today.

“We can’t even wash every day because we don’t have enough hygiene products,” said Hanaa.

As a part of the Humanitarian Coalition and supported by the Government of Canada, Islamic Relief Canada has been distributing hygiene kits so vulnerable families can continue to protect themselves from COVID-19, with soap and other personal care items they couldn’t otherwise afford.

“Islamic Relief brought us a hygiene kit which will be of great help for the entire family,” said Hanaa.