من هناك
07-22-2006, 11:24 PM
AVS UPDATE 64: July 22, 2006
AVS Updates is an e-publication of the Association for Volunteer Services, Lebanon. If you would like AVS Updates to be sent to you in Arabic, please contact AVS or send your request by email to [email protected] If you are already on the Arabic list, we will try to translate this and send it in Arabic as soon as possible. To automatically translate this Update or any other text from English into French go to: http://world.altavista.com/tr.
For those who have access to the Internet and are reading this Update, please share it with others around you.
IN THIS UPDATE:
How YOU Can Help Lebanon
Volunteer
Collect Goods and Money
Red Cross
Give Blood Donations
Other Ways You Can Help
HOW YOU CAN HELP IN LEBANON
There are many ways you can participate in humanitarian relief in Lebanon now. A primary focus of this relief is providing help to those in centers for the displaced. As of noon Friday, July 21, the Ministry of Social Affairs indicated that there were 180,000 displaced persons being taken care of in 170 centers for the displaced, mostly in public and private schools throughout Lebanon. These numbers continue to grow by the hour as more displaced find their way to shelters and the information is transmitted to the Higher Relief Council, the central coordination office based at the Grand Serail. In addition, there are many other displaced people being housed in peoples homes, some with help from government relief services.
Different ministries are taking responsible for the centers for the displaced in regard to issues of security, administration, health, hygiene, etc under the general coordination of the Higher Relief Council. The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for four issues on the site of these centers: 1) Recreation for children, both to minimize their trauma from the experience and to identify children who need special attention; 2) hygiene and basic cleanliness; 3) conflict resolution, and 4) registering needs and complaints.
VOLUNTEER
Those who want to volunteer should try to register by calling the National Relief Hotline (01-985880). And those who can, should come to one of two orientation and training meetings (with or without being registered). Go either Tuesday or Thursday (July 25th or 27th) at noon at the main office of the Ministry of Social Affairs in Badaro. For those who wish, volunteers can be paired to volunteer together. Whatever your profession, skills, abilities, and education, you can volunteer to help in some way.
COLLECT GOODS AND MONEY
Many centers for the displaced are being managed by political, religious, or social organizations. You are encouraged to help your group or work with the Ministry of Social Affairs to help those schools without an organization sponsoring them. One group, the Spears Relief Center, with headquarters at the Yamout Bldg (Zico House) in Spears is taking care of 33 schools in Beirut for about 15,000 displaced. They need volunteers as well as mattresses, canned food, baby milk, diapers, toilet paper, detergent soap, clothes, and books and toys for children. They will accept money but prefer that people bring the goods because they are having difficulty finding shops open and with reasonable prices. Go in person or call 01-745092. They also need another institutional kitchen, like a restaurant, to help cook large numbers of meals.
RED CROSS
The Red Cross is providing medical relief only. It is not providing any other humanitarian aid.The Red Cross does not need any additional volunteers since its volunteers are trained and experienced, and this is not the time to provide training to new recruits. But it does need people to donate money to provide medicines for those in need from the market in Lebanon. Donations can be made through your bank to the Red Cross account at Bank Audi - Bab Idriss - 841500 - Swift Code: AUDBLBBX or in person at the Spears Red Cross center. For more information, call 01-372802-3-4-5. It also needs wheelchairs, unopened medicines, milk for infants, and diapers for infants and the elderly. Bring to any Red Cross Center, preferably to the main center at Spears.
GIVE BLOOD DONATIONS
At various times, blood banks from the Red Cross and different hospitals appeal to people to donate blood. There are specific requirements of age, weight, health, family medical history, and past travel for being a blood donor so that it is best to make sure you qualify before going to a blood center, if possible.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
People in relatively safe areas of the country like most in the north (like Kisrwan, Batroun, Kourah, Zgharta, and Ehden) can help without going to less safe areas:
*You can identify the centers for the displaced in your area and help them. Contact the Qa'immaqam in your area to know what schools are being used for the displaced.
*You can collect money for the Red Cross and other relief organizations that you trust and have the money transferred through your local bank.
*You can collect and donate light foam mattresses, diapers for infants and elderly, canned foods and dry grains, children's books, games, balls and other recreational items, soap, and detergent.
*You can make hygiene kits (soap, detergent, combs, toothbrushes, etc.), recreation/sports kits (crayons or colored pencils, coloring books, games, balls, etc); or education kits (story books for small children, educational games, paper, pencils, etc.). If possible, put your kit in a nice cloth bag or box, and include a positive, encouraging personal note that shows the recipients that you care. It can be signed or unsigned.
***For both 3) and 4), if you don't know what local center to give them to, contact the National Relief Hotline (01-985880) or have someone going to Beirut drop them off at the Yamout Bldg, Spears.
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ASSOCIATION FOR VOLUNTEER SERVICES
AVS Updates is an electronic publication of the Association for Volunteer Services, a licensed non-profit, non-sectarian, non-governmental organization established to promote, facilitate, and improve volunteering and community service throughout Lebanon.
P.O. Box 136104, Beirut, Lebanon 2039 4232
Fax: 01-797247
[email protected] www.avs.org.lb
Office: Aboulmona Building (First Floor), Impasse 83 off Saqiat
al-Janzir Road, 'Ain al-Tineh, Beirut
Phones: When we have cellphone access you can make contact at 03-757098 or by land phone you may call 01-797247, 01-800170 or 06-931359.
DONATE NOW: You can support AVS finanically to help us continue our work. See www.avs.org.lb/support.
AVS OFFICE HOURS: Due to the unsafe situation in Beirut, AVS will have no regular office hours until further notice. To volunteer, call the National Relief Hotline: 01-985880 or volunteer with any local organization or center providing relief.
AVS Updates is an e-publication of the Association for Volunteer Services, Lebanon. If you would like AVS Updates to be sent to you in Arabic, please contact AVS or send your request by email to [email protected] If you are already on the Arabic list, we will try to translate this and send it in Arabic as soon as possible. To automatically translate this Update or any other text from English into French go to: http://world.altavista.com/tr.
For those who have access to the Internet and are reading this Update, please share it with others around you.
IN THIS UPDATE:
How YOU Can Help Lebanon
Volunteer
Collect Goods and Money
Red Cross
Give Blood Donations
Other Ways You Can Help
HOW YOU CAN HELP IN LEBANON
There are many ways you can participate in humanitarian relief in Lebanon now. A primary focus of this relief is providing help to those in centers for the displaced. As of noon Friday, July 21, the Ministry of Social Affairs indicated that there were 180,000 displaced persons being taken care of in 170 centers for the displaced, mostly in public and private schools throughout Lebanon. These numbers continue to grow by the hour as more displaced find their way to shelters and the information is transmitted to the Higher Relief Council, the central coordination office based at the Grand Serail. In addition, there are many other displaced people being housed in peoples homes, some with help from government relief services.
Different ministries are taking responsible for the centers for the displaced in regard to issues of security, administration, health, hygiene, etc under the general coordination of the Higher Relief Council. The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for four issues on the site of these centers: 1) Recreation for children, both to minimize their trauma from the experience and to identify children who need special attention; 2) hygiene and basic cleanliness; 3) conflict resolution, and 4) registering needs and complaints.
VOLUNTEER
Those who want to volunteer should try to register by calling the National Relief Hotline (01-985880). And those who can, should come to one of two orientation and training meetings (with or without being registered). Go either Tuesday or Thursday (July 25th or 27th) at noon at the main office of the Ministry of Social Affairs in Badaro. For those who wish, volunteers can be paired to volunteer together. Whatever your profession, skills, abilities, and education, you can volunteer to help in some way.
COLLECT GOODS AND MONEY
Many centers for the displaced are being managed by political, religious, or social organizations. You are encouraged to help your group or work with the Ministry of Social Affairs to help those schools without an organization sponsoring them. One group, the Spears Relief Center, with headquarters at the Yamout Bldg (Zico House) in Spears is taking care of 33 schools in Beirut for about 15,000 displaced. They need volunteers as well as mattresses, canned food, baby milk, diapers, toilet paper, detergent soap, clothes, and books and toys for children. They will accept money but prefer that people bring the goods because they are having difficulty finding shops open and with reasonable prices. Go in person or call 01-745092. They also need another institutional kitchen, like a restaurant, to help cook large numbers of meals.
RED CROSS
The Red Cross is providing medical relief only. It is not providing any other humanitarian aid.The Red Cross does not need any additional volunteers since its volunteers are trained and experienced, and this is not the time to provide training to new recruits. But it does need people to donate money to provide medicines for those in need from the market in Lebanon. Donations can be made through your bank to the Red Cross account at Bank Audi - Bab Idriss - 841500 - Swift Code: AUDBLBBX or in person at the Spears Red Cross center. For more information, call 01-372802-3-4-5. It also needs wheelchairs, unopened medicines, milk for infants, and diapers for infants and the elderly. Bring to any Red Cross Center, preferably to the main center at Spears.
GIVE BLOOD DONATIONS
At various times, blood banks from the Red Cross and different hospitals appeal to people to donate blood. There are specific requirements of age, weight, health, family medical history, and past travel for being a blood donor so that it is best to make sure you qualify before going to a blood center, if possible.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
People in relatively safe areas of the country like most in the north (like Kisrwan, Batroun, Kourah, Zgharta, and Ehden) can help without going to less safe areas:
*You can identify the centers for the displaced in your area and help them. Contact the Qa'immaqam in your area to know what schools are being used for the displaced.
*You can collect money for the Red Cross and other relief organizations that you trust and have the money transferred through your local bank.
*You can collect and donate light foam mattresses, diapers for infants and elderly, canned foods and dry grains, children's books, games, balls and other recreational items, soap, and detergent.
*You can make hygiene kits (soap, detergent, combs, toothbrushes, etc.), recreation/sports kits (crayons or colored pencils, coloring books, games, balls, etc); or education kits (story books for small children, educational games, paper, pencils, etc.). If possible, put your kit in a nice cloth bag or box, and include a positive, encouraging personal note that shows the recipients that you care. It can be signed or unsigned.
***For both 3) and 4), if you don't know what local center to give them to, contact the National Relief Hotline (01-985880) or have someone going to Beirut drop them off at the Yamout Bldg, Spears.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
ASSOCIATION FOR VOLUNTEER SERVICES
AVS Updates is an electronic publication of the Association for Volunteer Services, a licensed non-profit, non-sectarian, non-governmental organization established to promote, facilitate, and improve volunteering and community service throughout Lebanon.
P.O. Box 136104, Beirut, Lebanon 2039 4232
Fax: 01-797247
[email protected] www.avs.org.lb
Office: Aboulmona Building (First Floor), Impasse 83 off Saqiat
al-Janzir Road, 'Ain al-Tineh, Beirut
Phones: When we have cellphone access you can make contact at 03-757098 or by land phone you may call 01-797247, 01-800170 or 06-931359.
DONATE NOW: You can support AVS finanically to help us continue our work. See www.avs.org.lb/support.
AVS OFFICE HOURS: Due to the unsafe situation in Beirut, AVS will have no regular office hours until further notice. To volunteer, call the National Relief Hotline: 01-985880 or volunteer with any local organization or center providing relief.