The emails and phone calls started to arrive before the dust had settled at the Beirut port – even before President Khuri sent a message to the AUB community, which he did within seven hours of the August 4 explosion. The messages came from around the world. There was only one question: “Where is the website so I can make a donation?”
The website was up within 24 hours. The donations started to come within minutes – from 31 states in the US; from Hungary, Poland, and the UK; from Qatar, Jordan, and the UAE; and from as far away as Australia and Brazil – and that was only the first day!
Medical faculty, nurses, and staff at the AUB Medical Center (AUBMC) treated more than 500 casualties in the first 24 hours. Other AUBMC staff worked through the night to ensure that all clinical support services, including lab, radiology, radiation therapy, and pharmacy, and general support services were fully functional. You can watch a powerful video about the response at our medical center here.
In his August 5 message, President Khuri pledged that AUB would “do all we can, and some measure beyond that, to care for those injured and heal the terrible unseen wounds” that the August 4 explosion caused. He asked the AUB community also “for your support, your thoughts and prayers in these tragic times.” He urged the community also to “Keep your faith in AUB and in Lebanon, which will surely endure.”
We sent a fundraising appeal for the AUB4Beirut Disaster Response on August 13, 2020 seeking support for our medical center, community initiatives, and needs on campus (student scholarships and building repairs).
You can learn more about some of the people in Beirut who you have helped here.