Kfeir Relief Fund
Established June, 2021
Lebanon, on the Brink of Disaster - How can we help?
By Joseph Peck, Kfeirian Reunion President
Lebanon is experiencing the worst economic crisis in modern history. According to the World Bank, Lebanon’s current economic disaster is the worst the world has seen in over 150 years. Since 2019, the Lebanese currency has lost over 90% of its value. Over half of the country’s population is living below the poverty line. Prices of food and goods are increasing while wages are decreasing. Minimum wage is $30 a month, down from $450 a few years ago. It is estimated that a family has to spend over five times the minimum wage on food alone today. This doesn’t include other necessities such as gas, water, electricity and medicine.
There is a nationwide shortage of fuel. Lebanon cannot import enough fuel due to the lack of foreign reserves. Without fuel, the powerplants cannot operate. There are some areas of the country that only receive electricity for two hours a day. There is a shortage of petrol nationwide as well. People line up for hours in the hope they will be able to purchase petrol for their cars and other machinery.
Many classrooms and other educational institutions are closed. Teachers and students cannot afford to get to school or pay for school. There is lack of essential supplies, especially paper. The same also holds true in other industries as well. Doctors and other professionals are fleeing the country amid this economic crisis.
Beirut has not been able to rebuild after the port explosion over a year ago. Since then, Lebanon has been without a functioning government for over a year, and there is no end in sight. Before the port explosion and before the COVID pandemic, the October 2019 revolution called for the end of corruption and a completely new government. Almost two years later, little has changed. The President is still there, the Speaker of the Parliament is still there and has been for over 30 years, and up until last month the Prime Minister was still there. The Lebanese people are praying that elections will be held, but with the same political elite running elections, they are often delayed over and over and leave many questioning the integrity of the results.
You may be asking yourself at this point who/what is to blame for this catastrophic downturn. If you ask three different people, you will probably get three different answers. My intent in this letter is not focusing on the cause, but rather to inform you on the continuing crisis and let you know how you can help.
Many of you know that we have discussed a Kfeir Relief Fund several times in the past. I was looking through my files and saw where we discussed it at the 76th Reunion… 13 years ago! Unfortunately, very little has ever come out of these discussions.
As many of you have seen from the Facebook and email announcement sent in June, your Board of Directors formed the Kfeir Relief Fund after first discussing such a fund in April. The Board was challenged from one family member to deposit $1,000 into this new fund and they would match it. Not only did the reunion step up to this challenge, there were two other families that also matched the $1,000 challenge, starting the fund off with $4,000. Many other families have donated towards this fund in the last month and I pray that many more will donate going forward.
We are aware that over 60% of our families living in Kfeir need help. We have decided not to send money directly to these families, but rather help them by providing them with boxes of food. God has sent us an angel… a local resident of Kfeir that has stepped up to help us. This contact helps to identify the families that need food, shops for supplies, and delivers the boxes to the households of those in need. We have decided not to reveal the identity of our contact for safety and privacy reasons.
The entire process has been clearly defined and documented and several guidelines have been established. Your executive board has met with our local contact in Kfeir and we are in constant contact. Both sides have reviewed the guidelines and have fully agreed to them. Rest assured, your Board is doing everything possible to ensure that your heartfelt donations are going where they are intended to go - to help the people.
To date, we have sent one round of funds to Kfeir and have helped 11 families. We are expecting to help another 9 families with this first round of funds. Our contact is providing us with the names of the families being helped and sending us pictures throughout the process.
Our cousins in Kfeir need our help now more than ever before. One man we helped sent the following message… “I would like to thank you for this beautiful gift. May God bless you and protect you from all harm. Here in Lebanon, and especially in Kfeir, we need this help from good and honest people. Let the dust turn into gold in your hands. May the Lord protect you from all harm, and a thousand thanks to you…”
Please prayerfully consider donating to this fund. Our cousins are suffering and need our help. Remember why our families immigrated to this land. They did it for us. They did it for our children. They did it so we wouldn’t experience the same suffering our cousins in Lebanon are experiencing right now. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me”. Matthew 25:35-36
To donate please click on the donation link at the top of this page, or you can send a check to:
Kfeirian Reunion Treasurer
10609 Smith Point Way
Glen Allen, VA 23060
We are grateful for your support.
By Joseph Peck, Kfeirian Reunion President
Lebanon is experiencing the worst economic crisis in modern history. According to the World Bank, Lebanon’s current economic disaster is the worst the world has seen in over 150 years. Since 2019, the Lebanese currency has lost over 90% of its value. Over half of the country’s population is living below the poverty line. Prices of food and goods are increasing while wages are decreasing. Minimum wage is $30 a month, down from $450 a few years ago. It is estimated that a family has to spend over five times the minimum wage on food alone today. This doesn’t include other necessities such as gas, water, electricity and medicine.
There is a nationwide shortage of fuel. Lebanon cannot import enough fuel due to the lack of foreign reserves. Without fuel, the powerplants cannot operate. There are some areas of the country that only receive electricity for two hours a day. There is a shortage of petrol nationwide as well. People line up for hours in the hope they will be able to purchase petrol for their cars and other machinery.
Many classrooms and other educational institutions are closed. Teachers and students cannot afford to get to school or pay for school. There is lack of essential supplies, especially paper. The same also holds true in other industries as well. Doctors and other professionals are fleeing the country amid this economic crisis.
Beirut has not been able to rebuild after the port explosion over a year ago. Since then, Lebanon has been without a functioning government for over a year, and there is no end in sight. Before the port explosion and before the COVID pandemic, the October 2019 revolution called for the end of corruption and a completely new government. Almost two years later, little has changed. The President is still there, the Speaker of the Parliament is still there and has been for over 30 years, and up until last month the Prime Minister was still there. The Lebanese people are praying that elections will be held, but with the same political elite running elections, they are often delayed over and over and leave many questioning the integrity of the results.
You may be asking yourself at this point who/what is to blame for this catastrophic downturn. If you ask three different people, you will probably get three different answers. My intent in this letter is not focusing on the cause, but rather to inform you on the continuing crisis and let you know how you can help.
Many of you know that we have discussed a Kfeir Relief Fund several times in the past. I was looking through my files and saw where we discussed it at the 76th Reunion… 13 years ago! Unfortunately, very little has ever come out of these discussions.
As many of you have seen from the Facebook and email announcement sent in June, your Board of Directors formed the Kfeir Relief Fund after first discussing such a fund in April. The Board was challenged from one family member to deposit $1,000 into this new fund and they would match it. Not only did the reunion step up to this challenge, there were two other families that also matched the $1,000 challenge, starting the fund off with $4,000. Many other families have donated towards this fund in the last month and I pray that many more will donate going forward.
We are aware that over 60% of our families living in Kfeir need help. We have decided not to send money directly to these families, but rather help them by providing them with boxes of food. God has sent us an angel… a local resident of Kfeir that has stepped up to help us. This contact helps to identify the families that need food, shops for supplies, and delivers the boxes to the households of those in need. We have decided not to reveal the identity of our contact for safety and privacy reasons.
The entire process has been clearly defined and documented and several guidelines have been established. Your executive board has met with our local contact in Kfeir and we are in constant contact. Both sides have reviewed the guidelines and have fully agreed to them. Rest assured, your Board is doing everything possible to ensure that your heartfelt donations are going where they are intended to go - to help the people.
To date, we have sent one round of funds to Kfeir and have helped 11 families. We are expecting to help another 9 families with this first round of funds. Our contact is providing us with the names of the families being helped and sending us pictures throughout the process.
Our cousins in Kfeir need our help now more than ever before. One man we helped sent the following message… “I would like to thank you for this beautiful gift. May God bless you and protect you from all harm. Here in Lebanon, and especially in Kfeir, we need this help from good and honest people. Let the dust turn into gold in your hands. May the Lord protect you from all harm, and a thousand thanks to you…”
Please prayerfully consider donating to this fund. Our cousins are suffering and need our help. Remember why our families immigrated to this land. They did it for us. They did it for our children. They did it so we wouldn’t experience the same suffering our cousins in Lebanon are experiencing right now. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me”. Matthew 25:35-36
To donate please click on the donation link at the top of this page, or you can send a check to:
Kfeirian Reunion Treasurer
10609 Smith Point Way
Glen Allen, VA 23060
We are grateful for your support.
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