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Beirut - they need our help
I am fortunate I have been able to travel to some fantastic parts of our planet both for please and work. Working overseas is always an excellent experience for me; you get to experience different cultures and meet some fantastic people along the way.
Without a doubt, the best place I have worked in is Beirut. I remember the first time I went there, didn't know what I was doing there, concerned because of all the negative things I had heard and seen on the news.
How wrong was I. Instead I discovered a place full of the most fantastic highly educated people, I became addicted to the place. I ended up working there numerous times (over seven visits), and I have trained some brilliant people there on a range of subjects from Management to Training. They always made sure I was looked after; they always made sure I was being taken care of. I felt at home in a place that was so different from my home, but I felt amongst friends, the Lebanese hospitality is second to none.
On Tuesday, we had terrible explosions that killed hundreds and injured thousands. There are now over 300,000 people homeless, and linked to this is something much worse. The government of Lebanon has allowed the country to slip rapidly downhill with no suitable drinking water, limited power and limited supplies of essential items such as toothpaste and soap. As a consequence and amplified by the terrible scenes we saw on Tuesday, the country is on the brink of disaster. All of this in the middle of the COVID crisis.
They need our help. Of course, the UK will help, and I know we are sending emergency relief as we speak. However, I don't think it is enough. They need our help, and another problem is you have to be careful as some of the organisations are not as honest with the donations and money they get.
I spoke to one of my friends there yesterday and she asked me to "Pray for Lebanon." We need to do more than that, we need to act and we need to act now. I have just donated to the Lebanese Red Cross, according to my friends an organisation we can trust. I would like to ask you to donate too. You can see the website to donate here.
Beirut will bounce back from this, who knows it may be the turning point to what they deserve, it will bounce back. The place is full of highly professional, highly resourceful people, and it will bounce back. They just need our help.
Ralph Moody is the founder of Target Training and specialises in trainer and management development. You can read more about him here.