August 4th, 2020. A date that marked every Lebanese and especially every volunteer. That date marked not only the destruction of Beirut, but also the union and the kindness of the people. And what a better way to show unlimited support than by volunteering with the Youth of the Order of Malta along with other NGOs. A group of our most active volunteers organized and divided the work into 3 phases.
Phase 1 : Cleaning.
Walking through the streets of Beirut on the 5th of August was maybe the hardest thing to do with broken glass everywhere, collapsed buildings, destroyed cars… Nonetheless, it was compensated by the sight of crowds with brooms, gloves and masks, all working together. So in the heat, with the Order’s mask on, we walked through the streets, helping as many families as possible, cleaning their houses and emptying the streets from all the debris. In small groups, the volunteers did their best to remove the horrible traces left from the blast while taking all the precautions needed as for their safety and health (given the Covid-19 situation).
This work went on for 2 weeks as it continued while phase 2 began.
Phase 2 : Assessments.
The Youth’s next mission was to ensure a study of the Geitaoui region, one of the poorest and most affected areas. Each team tried to cover at least one street per shift, going to every building, knocking on every door and taking as many details as possible. A detailed form per house was filled in order to compare the damages, the living and the financial situations of the families. At the end of this phase, the volunteers collected the necessary information for 135 houses in total.
On to the last phase!
Phase 3 : Reconstruction.
Now comes the professional work! After a really hard filtering process, 70 houses were chosen and form now a priority list. These will be the target houses the Order wishes to cover fully. So how does it work? Well, it starts with choosing 10 houses as a sample, going to each one with contractors, assessing the work needed to be done and waiting for their reply. Their cost-study per house will give us an idea of how many houses out of the 70 we’ll be able to cover. Once the waiting is over, professionals accompanied by some volunteers will start reconstructing and renewing the homes of the victim, not forgetting the support teams that made sure to lift up the spirits of these families by handing out flowers and simply by talking and listening to them. After all, the most important thing one can do is simply show love and support, something our volunteers do naturally and perfectly! Our love for the people is big enough to fill the hole left in our port, and the Order helps us show it!
Cloe Hajjar, Lebanese volunteer
