OTTAWA — The federal Liberals are extending their timeline for matching donations to support people in Lebanon, as pledges came short of expectations and left aid workers pleading for more help in supporting desperate families living in squalor.
Ottawa cited growing humanitarian needs in announcing on Oct. 9 that it would match donations Canadians make to either the Canadian Red Cross or a group of prominent charities called the Humanitarian Coalition, for pledges made between Sept. 24 and Nov. 3.
But the offer has generated far less interest than Ottawa and its partners expected, and International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen announced this weekend the deadline would be extended to Nov. 17.
Aid workers on the ground in Lebanon, where an estimated 1.4 million people have been displaced amid an ongoing war with Israel, say the need for both funds and humanitarian relief is urgent.
"It's a difficult thing to watch children go through, and knowing that in the future they're going to have those memories," said Michael Adams, the Lebanon director for charity CARE, who hails from Ottawa.
He spent much of Sunday checking in on the rows of ramshackle encampments that line Beirut's seaside boardwalk, where families of six to 15 people are sheltering under makeshift plastic sheets that do little to block out the rain. People cook when they can find any way to heat food and go searching for toilets throughout the city.
Adams said it's a familiar scene throughout Beirut, where people are living under bridges, in their cars and under trees in public parks. He said it's heartbreaking to see children, the elderly and disabled people huddling for warmth.
He shudders at the thought of water-borne diseases like cholera taking hold.
Lebanese people were already struggling before Israeli airstrikes started taking out large apartment towers. The economy has been in freefall following the 2020 Beirut port explosion, the COVID-19 pandemic and a huge influx of Syrian refugees over the past decade.
Last autumn, Hezbollah militants in Lebanon started firing rockets into Israel and territories it occupies after Hamas undertook a brutal attack on Israel, which had prompted a fierce response in the Gaza Strip.
Israel had been firing back at Hezbollah targets for nearly a year before escalating in late September to air bombardment that has destroyed parts of Beirut, entire rural villages and parts of major highways.
The fundraising drive linked to Ottawa's matching effort has fallen well short of expectations. As of Oct. 30, the Red Cross received just $973,000 in donations of the $3 million the government offered to match. The Humanitarian Coalition said it had received $1.825 million of its own $3 million goal as of Oct. 24.
The charities did not have more recent data, but Hussen noted in an interview that "a huge surge of donations" tends to come in right before the deadline for donation matching.
"They're in desperate need of food, water, sanitation and emergency health services," Hussen said of the Lebanese people. "We're involving the Canadian public, so that we can double our impact by continuing to match donations."
The government hopes Canadians open their wallets as events for Lebanese heritage month get underway. Hussen said Ottawa would consider matching more donations if the charities exceed their combined goal of $6 million.
Aid providers working in Lebanon say there is a huge need for food, shelter and hygiene products for people who are suddenly homeless. Adams said there are also deep mental-health supports needed for people who have witnessed traumatic events, including those who still have a home.
"Even (our) staff, people in the community you buy your food from, people who are checking you out at the counter at the grocery store — they all have a story to say, and it's usually pretty bad," he said.
Adams has been impressed by Lebanese society rallying to help each other, across sectarian divides, with local charities and family businesses working in lockstep with large aid groups.
In the town of Qaraoun in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, Islamic Relief employee Osama Rkeih is helping displaced people in a rural town currently hosting nearly four times its normal population.
The town had 3,000 residents before the arrival of 5,000 Syrian refugees over the past decade. In the last five weeks the town has also welcomed more than 3,500 Lebanese fleeing airstrikes in the country's south.
Hundreds of families have crammed into school gymnasiums and community halls, using toilets meant for a vastly smaller group of people. The streets are congested, but locals have welcomed strangers into their homes, regardless of their religion.
"The situation is extremely dire; people have essentially left their homes with nothing," said Rkeih, who lives in Toronto.
When bombs fall, Lebanon's cash-strapped government ministries take six hours to respond or even count the number of casualties, Rkeih said.
One family he met hastily fled their home village on a hot, humid day and relocated to a mountain range. Their children now wander around in shorts in 8 C weather, as they couldn't find or afford pants.
"The most important thing right now is for us not to lean back and say, 'OK, we did enough,'" he said. "The situation on the ground is very intense. We need to sustain our efforts."
Adams stressed the charities in his coalition spend donations using protocols to ensure that the money doesn't reach terrorist groups or corrupt officials. The cash helps provide the basics of life, while trying to also support Lebanese businesses that keep people employed.
"The money that they are giving is to go directly to those that are suffering the most," he said.
In addition to the donation matching program, Ottawa has pledged $50 million in humanitarian support for Lebanon. Before this fall, this included responding to rising poverty and the country's economic collapse. Since September, Ottawa has earmarked $19 million to help with things like food and support for refugees.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2024.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press