Hansjörg Eberle, RC Genève International
“ On August 4th, 2020, there was a large explosion in the port of Beirut. Half the city of Beirut was destroyed, around 300,000 people are homeless. 5,000 were injured, but there are a few more injured because of the unrest and protests against the government .
The hospital infrastructure is completely overwhelmed. Beirut Airport has been damaged, but planes land daily. International aid is already working.
The humanitarian needs are enormous. … It’s about water, … medical care for the injured.
Can we help? I do not think so. This help is already running. We Rotarians cannot get a move right away. But I think that there is an important task for Rotary to help the hospitals … “
What are we doing in District 1910?
- We have contacted the responsible district governor Mazen Alumran (in the picture on the right with his wife and Bruno).
- We are in constant contact with the German and Swiss districts .
- The ICC country committee Germany-Lebanon (Chair: Anthony Peter strong>, RC Itzehoe) does projects with us as soon as possible. He will also establish contact with clubs through the Lebanese Rotarian, who is the new Chair on the Lebanon side.
- Hansjörg Eberle, who has extensive Lebanon experience (see also above Video) will discuss projects with the clubs in Lebanon, but is also open to suggestions.
- We coordinate with the Chairman of the District 2452 Rotary Foundation Committee PDG Dr. Michael Jazzar strong> for implementing projects with local clubs and supporting the foundation.
Donation collective account
We have set up an account where we are now collecting donations . As soon as there are projects, the Foundation Committee under Ralf Peters (RC Klosterneuburg) together with the Community Service Chair Thomas Wimpissinger (RC Vienna-Albertina) with clubs in Lebanon , Switzerland and Germany – we will report.
IBAN: AT85 3200 0069 1165 7699
BIC: RLNWATWW
Raiffeisen-Landesbank Niederösterreich-Wien AG
Deductibility of donations:
1. For individual donations please add the date of birth to the name .
2. If clubs do not transfer money from the cash register, but collect money in the club, please send a list of donors with their date of birth and signature to the Rotary Project Association for the collective transfer : Chairman: Josef Leutgeb josef.leutgeb@agl.at (RC Klosterneuburg)
The last seconds of the Beirut Fire Fighters
It is shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening in Beirut when Sahar Fares and ten men march north of the city. The firefighters are still discussing the best way to approach the flames. When the first fire broke out in the port, 12 young volunteers from the Beirut Fire Fighters were immediately ordered to the site. They reported that the situation was worse than expected, then the main explosion occurred and the young men came to life.
Beirut’s fire brigade needs new equipment
Virtually all equipment belonging to the Beirut Fire Fighters was destroyed in the explosion. It is easy to imagine that there will be another catastrophe in the next fire in Beirut if the fire brigade has no equipment.
The RC Tripoli Cosmopolis is leading this project.
Hansjörg Eberle from RC Geneve International will make a video appointment with the fire brigade commander and RC Tripoli Cosmopolis for further clarification.
He is already looking at material lists that the fire brigade commander has already sent him. The financial requirement is very high if fire fighting vehicles also have to be procured. But there is also a need for small equipment, uniforms, pumps – it does not necessarily take millions to generate benefits.
This project also has the potential for interested Rotarians with ties to the local fire department to campaign for the mobilization of used equipment.
firefighters.pdf
We want to bring the intensive care unit of the Rosary Sisters at Haddad Hospital back to life
Before the explosion, the Rosary Sisters’ hospital had 200 beds, modern research laboratories and operating theaters, spread over a total of 18 floors. 80 doctors and 92 nurses worked here. At the moment everything has been reduced. Nursing Director Sister Clotilde reports that many nurses have been traumatized, some were injured in the blast and Jacqueline, a 60-year-old nurse, was killed. A portrait in the entrance area of the hospital with a burning candle in front of it reminds of her.
Auf zwei Stockwerken geht die Arbeit weiter
Currently only two floors are still functional. One of the elevators could be repaired to take the patients to the operating room. An outpatient clinic for corona tests has also been set up. The nuns run the clinic, work on the wards and are also there for the patients in pastoral care. “Without them, the hospital wouldn’t be what it is. They are the source of strength in our work, ”says Maron Rabash, who has worked here as an anesthetist for 28 years. “This hospital with its Christian character is urgently needed in Beirut. Many patients come here because they know that they are being treated according to ethical values. “
Through our community assessment visits, interviews, and meetings with the on-site engineers, we were able to set the urgent priorities the hospital needs to get back up and running.
Rotary and Rotaract join forces to help the hospital:
– Reconstruction
– New medical equipment
New medical equipment for the intensive care unit
| Equipment | Brand name | Currency | Unit price | Qtty | Total | Total in USD |
| Advanced Patient Monitor | GE | USD | 18,850.00 | 3 | 56 550,00 | 56 550,00 |
| Portable Defibrillator/ Monitor | Nihon Kohden | USD | 15,595.00 | 1 | 15 595,00 | 15 595,00 |
| Portable Ventilator | Drager | Euro | 14,090.00 | 2 | 28 180,00 | 33 816,00 |
| Transport Stretcher | Arjo | USD | 6,335.00 | 1 | 6 335,00 | 6 335,00 |
| Medication Refrigerator | TEKNALAB | USD | 3,980.00 | 2 | 7 960,00 | 7 960,00 |
| Syringe Pump | FRESENIUS- KABI | Euro | 1,100.00 | 13 | 14 300,00 | 17 160,00 |
| Infusion Pump | Euro | 1,050.00 | 11 | 11 550,00 | 13 860,00 | |
| Advanced Electric ICU bed with scale | Arjo | USD | 22,500.00 | 2 | 45 000,00 | 45 000,00 |
| Electric ICU bed with scale | Arjo | USD | 9,500.00 | 4 | 38 000,00 | 38 000,00 |
| Over Bed Table | Arjo | USD | 350.00 | 6 | 2 100,00 | 2 100,00 |
| USD | 236 376,00 |
Folgende Rotary-Clubs und Distrikte haben sich bereits am Projekt beteiligt:
| Contributor | Country | District | USD |
| Rotary Club of Zgharta Zawieh | Lebanon | 2452 | 2 000 |
| Rotary Club of Sahel Metn | Lebanon | 2452 | 4 000 |
| Rotary Club of Beirut Cedars | Lebanon | 2452 | 4 000 |
| Rotary Club of Chouf | Lebanon | 2452 | 1 000 |
| Rotary Club of Beirut Cosmopolitan | Lebanon | 2452 | 3 000 |
| Rotary Club of Tripoli Maarad | Lebanon | 2452 | 500 |
| Rotary Club of Tripoli Cosmopolis | Lebanon | 2452 | 1 000 |
| Rotary Club of Tyre – Europa | Lebanon | 2452 | 1 000 |
| Rotary Club of Metn Gate | Lebanon | 2452 | 300 |
| Rotaract Clubs – Lebanon | Lebanon | 2452 | |
| Rotary Club of Bethlehem | Palestine | 2452 | 1000 |
| Rotary Club of Ramallah | Palestine | 2452 | 520 |
| Rotary Club of Prague International | Czech Republic | 2240 | 6 000 |
| RMCH (former RFPD) Action group | 4 000 | ||
| Rotary Club of Las Vegas WON | USA | 5300 | 1 050 |
| Satellite Rotary Club of Grigota | Bolivia | 4690 | 1 000 |
| District 2290 (DDF) | Norway | 2290 | 500 |
| District 1385 (DDF) | Finland | 1385 | 1 500 |
| District 2330 (DDF) | Sweden | 2330 | 1 000 |
| District 1390 (DDF) | Finland | 1390 | 1 500 |
| District 1360 (DDF) | Iceland | 1360 | 10 000 |
Reconstruction of the Pediatric Unit in Karantina Hospital
The Assameh Birth and Beyond Pediatric Unit in Karantina Hospital, which had a specialized unit treating newborns who require critical care, was completely destroyed.
This project is led by the Rotary Club de Beyrouth , with the support of RC Tripoli Cosmopolis .
We are currently putting together projects with the three Swiss districts and the Germany-Lebanon Country Committee (ICC) to support our Rotarian friends.
A quick rundown of the cost of medical equipment and structural restoration:
| Basic Equipment | Delivery Beds, Electric Beds, Patients Stretchers, Fetal monitors, Vital signs, Defibrillators, Syringe pumps, Resuscitators | 230 | USD |
| Foetal surgery Equipment | Miniature telescope, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia- In Vitro, Insertion and Removal, Anterior plasma- Curved scope, Posterior placenta- straight, Cord occlusion, Amniotic bands, Fetal Cystoscopy, Bipolar Accessories | 37 | EUR |
| Laser Unit | 62 | EUR | |
| Ultra Sound | Obstetrical Ultra sound with reusable fibers | 82 | USD |
| Pumps and Syringes | Monitoring for non-Invading Vital signs (x 10 pcs) | 80 | USD |
| Pumps and Syringes | infusion Syringes (x10 pcs) | 25 | USD |
| Pumps and Syringes | Perfusion pump (x10 pcs ) | 25 | USD |
| Reconstruction | Infrastructure cost for the 2nd floor reconstruction | 285 | USD |
Rotary clubs from Egypt are distributing aid kits in Beirut
On August 30, 2020, an Egyptian transport plane filled with aid packages (medicine, clothing, food) landed in Beirut. Rotarians from Egypt also flew in to distribute everything together with the Rotary clubs from Beirut.
Information from Hansjörg Eberle from yesterday:
From: Hansjoerg E
Gesendet: Dienstag, 11. August 2020 15:57
To: Dr.Peter Adler
Cc: rotary.fbp@bluewin.ch; reto.fritz@gmx.ch; hansruedi.moser@rotary1990.ch; info@ursklemm.com
Betreff: Re: Libanon
Dear Peter,
Thank you for sharing yesterday.
I manage Switzerland professionally. Foundation for Mine Clearance (FSD) – https://fsd.ch/de and have carried out mine clearance projects in southern Lebanon for several years. As a Rotarian, this helped me to organize projects for Rotary in Lebanon later on.
In the past three years, with the help of various Lebanese Rotary clubs and financial support from the Swiss districts and clubs, we have essentially launched and implemented two projects:
– Water Filtration System & Education for 100 Public Schools through 2 Global Grants for approximately USD 370,000
– Support of 2 hospitals with medical material and equipment in the context of the COVID-19 crisis worth around USD 170,000.
The implementation on site for these projects is firmly in Rotarian hands (Lebanese clubs), and I am in permanent contact with the project team on site, including Jamil Mouawad and Michel Jazzar, who you also know.
There is chaos in Beirut at the moment: some of the government has resigned and most governments do not want to help through the Lebanese government. However, apart from some aid organizations and Rotary, there are hardly any established structures. The government crisis team is a bit in a vacuum.
International aid has gotten off to a good start, and the survivors and the homeless have been taken care of for the time being. I don’t think there is a danger today that people in Beirut will starve to death or perish on the streets without help … but of course there is a lack of «everything» at the same time
Our Rotarian colleagues on site have already met with the crisis cell, the personal employee of the Minister of Health and various hospitals and other institutions to clarify the needs. We have not yet decided on a specific project, but will do so within the next few weeks.
The criteria that are important to us are the following:
– We do fundraising until the end of September and then start implementing a suitable project.
– We focus on medium-term needs that should not be covered before the last quarter of this year
– Whenever possible, implementation via existing Rotarian structures & reinforcement of these structures
– Strict financial control – Lebanon has a bad reputation for corruption, unfortunately, and not without good reason
– No wasting of funds – no watering can principle
So far, the following possible project areas have turned out to be particularly promising:
– Medical support (consumables, equipment) for the still functioning hospitals. At the moment we are in closer contact with the Karantina Public Hospital in Beirut, which was badly damaged, through the RC de Beyrouth and the RC Tripoli Cosmopolis. Let’s not forget that even without the explosion, the hospitals have already suffered enormously from the financial crisis and the COVID-19 onslaught and are likely to suffer from a lack of material in the medium term.
– The fire brigade has lost all equipment and can hardly count on government support. Without a fire brigade, however, it is only a matter of time before the next disaster. I have a meeting with the association president and Lebanese Rotarians probably this week.
So far so good. I think we are well positioned in terms of project organization, especially in cooperation with the Lebanese clubs, and we would have no problems implementing somewhat larger projects, as long as the money is made available.
If you and your district would like to support our project, there is certainly an opportunity to do so. I would also be very happy about the cooperation of German districts.
But if you’d prefer to implement a project idea yourself, I can lend a hand by putting you in contact with competent Rotarians in Lebanon.
I am happy to answer any further questions.
Hansjörg Eberle
RC Genève International
Lebanon project for Germany 1980, 1990, 2000
Whatsapp +41 79 333 00 72
Skype hansjoergeberle
Information from Dr.Michael Jazzar, TRF-Chair D2462 12.08.2020:
Thank you Peter,
I am coordinating the Rotary operation in Lebanon in two directions:
1-As I preside the Lebanon Country Chair, I oversee the bank account.
-On another side 25000$ will be added to the account as 28 RCs contributions to the operation in favour of the people of Lebanon.
-Meetings to coordinates:
*Media platform
Website
Videos
*Medical equipments
*Sanitizer for COVID1O and Hygiene.
*Foodboxes for distribution to family in needs.
2-as DRFC chair I am coordinating for a GG with the participation of different Districts.
Thank you for your patience and support.
Aid delivery from Bahrain (seat of the district governor)
The district governor for Lebanon, Mazen Alumran, is based in Bahrain. A delegation flew with the relief supplies to Beirut and shot this documentary video.