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Our Emergency Beirut Appeal is now live.
BEIRUT APPEAL
Why we need your help
On August 4, an enormous explosion destroyed the port of Beirut and much of the eastern side of the capital city. Hundreds have been killed or are missing, over 7,000 are injured, and around 350,000 have lost their homes. The destruction is apocalyptic. Hospitals have been heavily damaged and are overwhelmed with the victims of the blast who need urgent medical treatment. This catastrophic event comes at a time when Lebanon is experiencing an unprecedented economic collapse due to a banking crisis, as well as the complex challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Over one-third of the population is unemployed; over half of the population live below the poverty line; schools have been closed; there is widespread starvation and a desperate need for food and medical supplies.
A friend of FACE, Charles Sarkis, who lives in Beirut and who experienced the explosion, wrote:
“It is another Hiroshima! Thank God we were indoors at home. Everything outside is devestated. The seaport of Beirut is totally destroyed. Hospitals are full of dead and injured victims. Major starvation is ahead. I ask you to pray to the Virgin Mary to come to our aid. Thousands of houses are destroyed, thousands are homeless, our livelihood is destroyed. Lebanon is no more. Please help us. May the Lord have mercy on us. Your brother in Christ, Charles.”
Our emergency aid projects in Beirut
FACE is working in partnership with its sister branch, l’Oeuvre d’Orient, to support the following emergency aid projects:
- Rebuilding the Hospital of the Holy Family, Gietaoui, Beirut (Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family);
- Rebuilding the Hospital of the Sisters of the Rosary, Gemmayze, Beirut;
- Rebuilding several damaged schools in Beirut;
- Supporting the Maronite, Armenian Catholic and Syriac Catholic archdioceses of Beirut in their work of repairing damaged homes by re-connecting water and electricity supplies and repairing roofs, windows and doors;
- Providing emergency food supplies to parishes in Beirut.
Please give what you can today. Your donation will make a big difference to someone’s life.
Our Mission Statement
The British charity Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East (FACE) strives to preserve the heritage of Eastern Christians by enabling them to stay in their homelands where Christianity was born and first spread, so that Eastern Christians remain a living testament to the roots and legitimacy of the Christian presence in Arabic society, and continue to be mediators of peace and a force for good in the Middle East, as well as a source of inspiration to Western Christians. FACE supports the work of the bishops, priests, and religious of the Eastern Churches by offering grant aid to their local projects in education, pastoral support, health care and evangelisation, to the benefit of all, regardless of faith or race.
Our Activities
FACE enables Eastern Christians:
- to remain in their homelands, where Christianity was born and first spread;
- to rebuild their homes and communities;
- to create employment opportunities for themselves;
- to secure the maintenance of their churches, schools and hospitals;
- to create educational opportunities for all, regardless of faith;
- to offer healthcare and pastoral support in their multi-faith communities;
- to promote evangelization and interreligious dialogue;
- to be peacemakers in their multi-faith communities.
- to be a force for good in bridging divisions between the different faiths of the region;
- to strengthen the pastoral bonds with Western Christians.