Anti-Racism Movement

Migrant-led groups, activists and community organizers continue to mobilize and respond to urgent needs on the ground, identifying what’s needed and organizing support with and for each other.
One way we are supporting these efforts is by collecting and redistributing in-kind donations based on what is being shared with us regularly by organizers in different parts of the country.

If you are able to circulate or contribute, we are currently accepting the following items at our space in Beirut:

Baby items:
Formula milk, functional toys, wet wipes, diapers, bottle feeders, pacifiers

Hygiene kits:
All types of cleaning material, soap, tissues, shampoo, toothbrushes, pads

Food parcels:
Dry goods such as rice, oil, peanut butter, canned tuna and sardines, spaghetti, tea, stock cubes, sugar, beans, salt, coffee...

Cooking supplies:
Portable butane stoves or electric stoves, pots, plates, cutlery, bottles

Sleeping support:
Mattresses with covers, sleeping bags, blankets & pillows, tents

Clothes:
In solid conditions, all ages, jackets, pants, shirts, shoes, socks, towels

You can contact us on 03 098 600 or [email protected] for questions or to coordinate drop-off, or drop items directly at our space in Jisr Elwati daily between 10 AM and 4 PM.

Once again, migrant communities have been excluded from all governmental responses to the war, and the reality on the ground is that there is very limited support that is provided by activists, civil society groups, and NGOs, which resulted in thousands of migrant workers facing homelessness under continuous airstrikes. In the face of this harrowing reality, the IOM has maintained a questionable position to not open a shelter for stranded and displaced migrant communities.

This crisis is significantly affecting the population, including thousands of migrant workers who have had to flee conflict areas, as their employers left without them.

In addition, there is currently a shortage of adequate shelters for the displaced. Few Embassies have provided shelters to their nationals in Lebanon, but they remain very limited and not adequately equipped.

Several local civil society organizations have received many support requests from groups of migrant workers who are stranded in Beirut, Saida, and Tyre in the South of Lebanon, with no means to relocate to a safer area, or find shelter where they are.

In at least two cases, migrant women were evicted from public shelters and forced to spend the night on the streets. The cases included over 60 Sierra Leoneans evicted from a shelter in Tripoli and 100 Bangladeshis evicted from a shelter in Beirut.

For migrant communities, an extremely precarious status under the sponsorship/Kafala system in the country is now much more worrying than ever. Based on our experiences following the 2020 Beirut Blast, financial breakdown and the COVID-19 Pandemic, we only expect this to get worse as resources dwindle, needs increase at a national level, and hostility spreads against migrant communities.

You can read the full statement on our website. Link below and in QR code.

https://armlebanon.org/urgent-call-iom-should-open-shelter-for-displaced-and-stranded-migrant-workers-in-lebanon/

⚠️ بينما تتجاهل خطة الطوارئ الوطنية في لبنان وجود المهاجرين واللاجئين، وجدت العائلات والأفراد من دون أي حماية.

🚪 أبواب الملاجئ مغلقة، والشوارع غير آمنة، والحكومة لا تقدم أي دعم. بل على العكس، هم يزيدون الوضع سوءاً، مدَّعين إعطاءَ الأولوية للبنانيين على حساب غير اللبنانيين.

هذه العنصرية والتمييز الصارخان، للأسف، ليسا غريبين علينا...

لقد رأينا ذات السياسات من قبل خلال جائحة كوفيد-19 وفي أعقاب انفجار بيروت.

لا مكان للعنصرية خلال الأزمات والطوارئ. نطالب بشمل المهاجرين واللاجئين في أي خطط للإغاثة، إن كانت حكومية أو من المنظمات الدولية. ✊

شاركوا هذا المنشور في دوائركم. دعونا نحاسب المسؤولين. 💪🙌

#لبنان #العنصرية #المهاجرين #اللاجئين