Empowering Beirut’s youth in the face of adversity

Beirut’s August 4 port explosions touched the life of every one of the city’s residents. For many, in particular its children and youth, the impact has been profound. In the immediate aftermath of the blast, UNICEF put into action an integrated emergency response plan to ensure the health and safety of thousands of affected families and their children.

As part of an immediate intervention, UNICEF mobilized its 1,900-plus youth network and provided community-based response focusing on cleaning, minor rehabilitation of houses, and the preparation and distribution of meals to vulnerable families in and around the affected areas.

“I didn’t expect to see such enormous damage. It was so sad to see”, recalls Jana El Akraa, a youth volunteer on the streets during those first critical days. “I just cannot describe how I felt when we saw the chaos and loss on the streets”.

Youth network volunteers visited more 1,907 houses, assessed their needs, and rehabilitated 1,888 sites by removing rubble and shattered glass, installing temporary window shields and recycling collected glass in collaboration with the Municipality of Beirut.

“UNICEF’s aim is always to guide and support the youth”, stresses Amal Obeid, Programme Specialist, Adolescents and Youth Development, with UNICEF Lebanon.

“This collaboration with the youth was just one of many different initiatives with multiple organisations following the explosions”, she adds.

Hayat Ahmad Hasanein lives more than an hour from Beirut yet volunteered for the clean-up. She said “My friends and I went to Beirut from Wardanieh and Iqlim El Kharroub. We got together and decided we must go and help the volunteers on the ground. We wanted to be part of a movement aiming to make the city even better than it was before”.

Additionally, over 20,000 families affected by the explosions received hot meals prepared and distributed by 236 youth network members as part of the UNICEF cash for work programme, using this as an opportunity to practice and apply skills acquired from UNICEF’s food and beverage vocational training.

Abdel Karim Ahmad was one of fourteen volunteers who came from Saida’s Ein El Hilweh refugee camp. “We went to offer our help to the people of Beirut” Abdel Karim says.

Forty-five of Beirut’s youth were trained on how to re-establish water connections - skills they will retain and can use as an opening to get a job in the future. A further one-hundred and twenty were part of the initial assessment and cleaning phase.

Other youth were provided with material and equipment to support minor rehabilitation on blast-damaged homes.

Rebuilding Beirut and lifting its spirit is a long-term commitment. UNICEF continues to empower the youth of Beirut, ensuring they know that they can make a difference.