RAISING MONEY FOR BEIRUT

We are always looking to use our platform to help out a range of communities and causes all around the world. So, our immediate reaction on hearing the news of the disaster in Beirut, was to reach out to creatives within that community and invite them to use our platform to raise awareness of the desperate situation there!

Campaigners reported to us the truly horrific situation unfolding in their capital city:

‘The explosion's aftermath reverberated through the country's meagre territory and made grim history as the 3rd largest blast worldwide. The cause? Lebanese authorities had permitted the storage of 2750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate on a ship at the Beirut Port, despite knowing that the substance was highly explosive. As people in Beirut were already struggling to make ends meet during a rapidly increasing economic recession and a pandemic that exacerbated the militarisation of the country, they now have to rely on their own communal efforts to survive the disaster(s)’-Beirut By Dyke

‘A devastating explosion hit Beirut 'Gemmayze' is one of the streets that were severely damaged from the blast. In this traditional street, I went to school, I had the best ‘manoushe’, I had my first kiss, I met my friends over drinks, I tested my best and worst pick-up lines, I protested, I held my first exhibition, I had the best coffee and my favourite meals. In a matter of seconds this street switched into a distant memory’-Art Of Boo 

The explosion of near nuclear proportions on August 4th, killed over 100 people, injured over 5000, and left 300 000 with out a roof over their heads. Unsurprisingly, the response to our campaign has been overwhelmingly positive and we are bowled over by the generosity of our customers. 

We are so excited to tell you that the artists which we collaborated with raised just over £7,000 for the British Red Cross Beirut Emergency Appeal and Matbakh EL Balad. A truly incredible amount!

‘Love will always prevail, no matter what!’ One of our collaborators, Thierry, wrote about the inspiration for his t-shirt campaign: ‘This design has been created in Beirut, for the love of Beirut (it has been inspired from a real old house that got severely damaged during the Beirut Blast) .The creative art scene, the picturesque architecture, the good memories and the kids' giggles have blown up in this tragedy. This fundraising t-shirt campaign aims to restore what got lost in the Lebanese capital.’ -Thierry Chehab

Among one of our most successful campaigners was the Mavia Bakery in Beirut, half a kilometre from the blast site: ‘The neighbourhood, once a peaceful, hip area to go out and have coffee, eat at a restaurant or grab drinks, is now full of bombed-out apartments and businesses, debris, and glass. Our bakery too was hit by the explosion. Our steel and glass facade was cratered by the impact of the blast, showering the entire bakery with glass. We have also had structural damage to the building, as well as to the surrounding buildings, and we have some pretty serious cracks in our wood oven. Each day we are awaiting information on whether the building next door might collapse, and waiting to have people come into our own space to assess whether it is completely safe to use. In the meantime, we have made it our mission to move forward in getting the bakery repaired then turn the bakery into a soup kitchen to support our neighbours and community in Gemmayze, Mar Mikhael, Geitawi and Karatina - the neighbourhoods most seriously damaged by the blast.’

With the money raised from the sale of their bags the bakery plans to rebuild and repair, replace their damaged equipment and furniture, and then use the remaining money to fund a soup kitchen, aiming ‘to get food into the bellies of the most vulnerable people from the surrounding neighbourhoods…and then pass along the remaining funds to one of the many small, local initiatives that are providing medical, housing, or mental health support to affected persons.’-Mavia Bakery Beirut

We are so proud to support the people of Beirut at such a difficult time. Thank you to everyone who has and continues to make this such a successful campaign. We are hoping that with your continued generosity we will exceed the £10k mark!

Here are some of our awesome contributors: Charlotte Reece / Sam Hutchinson / Mavia Bakery Beirut/ Madeleine Upham/ Ahmed Amer / Faze Miyake / Rachel Woodward Carlton / Stephany Keyrouz / Ali Emad / Ammonium Nitrate / Nour Halabi / Tony Maalouf / InkBoy / Carla Scotto / Sahar Akawi / Sara Qaed / Narmeen Hamadeh / Mahmud Awad / Rayan Al Ess / Judy Abi Roustom / Nene Dalla Rosa / Sadgrads / Ayla Art / Karam Moushka / Melinda Mouzannar / Pamela Mansour / Jess Hinsley / FloorTile / Brady The Black / Ghiwa Chahine / Mira El Fil / Laura Menassa / Yalla Beirut / Art of Boo / Mazahir Hussain / Saroufim / Lara Ghattas / Aude Nasr / Thierry Chehab / Hala Salem / Elie Fahed / Dohm Shop / Shirine Kazan / Uroboros Girl