HI provides "first aid" to 500 people
Many of Beirut’s inhabitants were seriously injured when explosions ripped through the city’s port on 4 August. Chakif Mia, 36, suffered a serious leg injury.
Chafik Mia, 36, suffered a serious leg injury when his kitchen ceiling was blown in by the explosions that ripped through Beirut's port on 4 August. | © Tom Nicholson / HI
Humanity & Inclusion’s (HI) voluntary workers have been reaching out to the residents of two Beirut neighbourhoods - Quarantine and Basta - to identify people with injuries and those who need help to overcome their ordeal.
Chakif Mia was in the kitchen of his home in a neighbourhood near the port of Beirut when it was hit by two explosions on 4 August.
“The blast from the explosions was so powerful the kitchen ceiling collapsed on top of me. I was in deep shock,” he explains.
Beneficiary assistance
HI’s teams met up with Chafik to find out more about what had happened to him and provide him with emergency equipment and psychological first aid to help him recover from his ordeal.
He is still waiting to have his leg X-rayed and his injury is causing him a lot of pain. Since he finds it hard to move around and go about his daily routine, HI has provided him with crutches and an abdominal belt.
Physiotherapy care
Once doctors have fully diagnosed his condition, HI will provide Chafik with follow-up care and decide if he needs physical rehabilitation to rapidly restore his mobility.
“I’m grateful to HI’s teams, who have assisted everyone with a serious injury. I hope the support I have been receiving will help me get through this difficult period," says Chakif.
HI in Lebanon
HI has worked in Lebanon since 1992. It provides assistance to the most vulnerable individuals and people with disabilities and helps include them in community life. It also implements demining projects in the north of the country where people’s lives are still at risk from explosive devices left over from the 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990.
