With COVID-19 working hospitals over-capacity and forcing many in Beirut to deal with its effects at home, lots of people need access to oxygen machines. Jean-Pierre (Director of FTH Germany) took a team to Beirut, Lebanon last month to lend a helping hand.
The team brought eight 5L oxygen machines to the Life Centre and their medical professional instructed staff on how to handle them. Each of the small portable machines are able to supply oxygen to two people at a time and are able to administer medicine. Jean-Pierre brought twenty masks per machine to ensure that there was plenty to keep up with the flow of people while used masks were being sterilised.
The risk of COVID-19 isn’t the only problem that people face in Beirut. Groceries are also difficult to buy.
Smaller grocery stores struggle to keep daily food items—like bread and milk—stocked. It is difficult to find a reliable source of food, and can lead to people fighting over it. Worse, food that can be found is often expensive to purchase – where 1 kg of meat is more than a month’s salary.
In response, exchange shops have been popping up where people can exchange goods—like electronic devices—for various supplies, and the Feed The Hungry team has made a deal with the wholesaler to make each family pack of groceries cheaper.
To keep COVID-safe, the Life Centre is minimising how many people are collecting their grocery packs at one time. They avoid long queues and large crowds by sending a text notification of when to arrive to pick up their groceries.
But not everyone can make it to the centre. Some people are in quarantine in their homes, need to care for family members, or are simply too weak to come. One of these is a mother of five young children. Due to COVID-19 safety rules, the children cannot go to school during the day, so the family is stuck in their one-room apartment in desperate need of help.
Thankfully, there is a delivery service. Volunteers from the local youth group transport the groceries to those in need with the aid of an electric threewheeler.
The Church has embraced new believers who have come to Christ after receiving food in their time of need. Safety measures have restricted how many seats are available, but every single one was occupied!
Please keep the people of Beirut in your prayers; that the threat of COVID-19 will ease, food supplies will become abundant, and the Life Centre for their commitment to feeding the hungry.
