Six months after the Beirut port explosion on the 4th of August, the Order of Malta Lebanon, driven by its mission to serve the people in need and preserve their dignity, has decided to pursue its relief action at the heart of Beirut by partnering with Stand for Women in support of their “Marion Fund” initiative which has the aim to help more than 200 women-owned small to medium enterprises (SMEs) affected by the blast.
The main aim of this fund which was created in memory of Marion Hochar Ibrahimchah, an innocent victim of the Beirut blast, is to primarily assist the most vulnerable women who are often the main family provider and who were already struggling from the multiple crises even before the explosion, to help them rebuild their businesses in sectors such as groceries, pastry shops, hospitality services, retail shops, designers, hairdressers, doctors, pharmacies and others that are located in the areas ranging from Ashrafieh, Rmeil, Gemmayze, Mar Mikhael, Karantina, Beirut district and Borj Hammoud.
Apart from the help to rebuild and equip their SMEs, women will get coaching, mentoring and training to develop and grow their businesses, in addition to psycho-social support when needed.
Thanks to its partners and donors who wholeheartedly responded to their plea right after the explosion, the Order of Malta Lebanon was able to extend its support to 19 women-led SMEs divided among the following 3 categories:
- 9 very small businesses like grocery shops and tailors
- 8 SMEs that maintain or create jobs and employ more than 5 people like coffee / pastries shops
- 2 SMEs that preserve Beirut’s cultural heritage like designers and artists
Stand for Women is an NGO, established in Lebanon in 2017, advocating for women’s economic empowerment and gender equality across the Middle East and championing sisterhood.
