"YOU MADE OUR LIVES BETTER"

Like many in Lebanon, Darwich is a manual worker, looking for jobs every day. This means his income is unpredictable – if there’s no work, there’s no money.

“If I don’t gain money, my family won’t have anything to eat nor even drink,” he says of how he supports a family of eight.

To supplement the family income, two of the children sell fabric to motorists on the main road in Bourj Hammoud, located in the northeast part of the capital of Beirut.

Already living on the edge, the terrible August 4, 2020 blast in the port of Beirut made things even worse for Darwich and his family.

The explosion shattered the windows and doors in their house, cracking the walls and bursting water pipes. The roof also partially collapsed.

Darwich was devastated. “We needed urgent repairs ahead of winter, but with no jobs and income, we couldn’t afford to repair all the damage,” he says, noting they were using plastic sheets to catch the drips from the broken water pipes.

Then he was contacted by Islamic Relief, a member of the Humanitarian Coalition. The organization conducted a home visit to assess the damage and returned to conduct a variety of repairs. This included installing new windows and doors and fixing the pipes.

This help improved the security and safety of the family, as well as their health and wellbeing.

“Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), you made our lives better. I can now feel safer,” he says. “You are the symbol of humanity. You made me feel at home again.”

Funds for the repairs to Darwich’s house came from the Humanitarian Coalition’s Lebanon Crisis Appeal, which raised $11 million from Canadians along with an additional $8 million matching fund from the Canadian government.