Lebanon

One month since the massive blast in Beirut, tens of thousands of vulnerable people are unable to rebuild their homes, with a single front door costing two months’ worth of a minimum-wage salary, warned Oxfam today. 

Longstanding inequality, massive inflation and COVID-19 have compounded this humanitarian disaster for tens of thousands, making it almost impossible for them to recover.

“Huge inflation has meant the cost of basic materials needed to rebuild homes and businesses is out of reach for thousands of people who were struggling to get by even before the blast. While the minimum wage is just under $450 a month, the cost of replacing one window is now nearly $500 and a door up to $1000. These families need urgent assistance to recover from this disaster and rebuild their lives,” said Oxfam’s Policy Lead in Lebanon, Bachir Ayoub.

The blast came at time when thousands of people where already on the brink. An estimated 50 per cent of the population was living under the poverty line, the Lira’s value had dropped 80% since October, migrant workers were being abandoned and forced out on the streets, cash was almost impossible to access, and restrictive measures to contain the pandemic prevented casual workers from getting to their jobs.

“Following the blast, an estimated additional 70,000 workers are now jobless. Half of all wholesale, retail and hospitality establishments near the blast site have been destroyed.

“In the most affected areas, the majority of people are low and middle- income workers who earn the minimum wage or less. Most of them have lost their jobs in the port or the businesses in the devastated areas. Many people are unable to put food on the table, let alone repair their houses,” added Ayoub.

As coronavirus cases surge, the cost of a single test is $100 and well out of reach for most people.

Oxfam is working with Lebanese organisations to ensure that Beirut’s most marginalised people are not left behind and instead have the support they need to recover from the blast.

Oxfam’s joint response with partners will focus on supporting local leadership, and will prioritise reaching people with disabilities, the elderly, women and girls who are now at greater risk of violence because of unsafe houses, migrant workers, refugees and the LGBTQ+ community.

Oxfam’s partner-led response is providing over 9000 people with support ranging from emergency cash and food, medical services, mental health support, legal assistance and help to repair and rebuild homes and businesses.

But there is still too much that needs to be done for Beirut to begin to recover. Celine El Kik, a social worker from Oxfam partner KAFA says the mental scars of the blast will linger long after the physical damage has been repaired. “The port explosion affected all of us, but especially women who were already vulnerable. We’re providing social and legal support, as well as cash assistance for people who lost their jobs or their houses.”

Oxfam calls for fair and just distribution of aid to provide critical support to these vulnerable communities and people who will be unable to cope and rebuild their lives without targeted and transparent aid.

“We are worried that the growing inequality and suffering we were already seeing in some of Lebanon’s most vulnerable communities – like refugees and migrant workers, the elderly and LGBTQI+ community – will only get worse, and they will fall even farther behind,” added Ayoub.