Access a downloadable information page here: Bishops Appeal Lebanon Disaster Appeal

On Tuesday 4th August, a massive explosion ripped through Beirut, killing 157 people, injuring 5,000, damaging 50% of the buildings and leaving 300,000 people homeless.

This disaster comes when the whole country was already on its knees due to its worst financial crisis in decades and its struggles to contain a rapidly increasing coronavirus outbreak.

Excerpts from the Washington Post report: “the rapid devaluation of the local currency and a volatile exchange rate on the black market fueling inflation, shuttering businesses and plunging many people into unemployment and poverty. Imports have become prohibitively expensive as a result, forcing the central bank to dip into its reserves to subsidize wheat, fuel and medicine. Fuel shortages and bread lines have become common.

Beirut’s hospitals are overwhelmed, and some were badly damaged in the blast…For over a year, medical practitioners have warned that the government’s failure to pay money it owes hospitals was endangering public health, and the coronavirus outbreak only made matters worse….Public hospitals have limited intensive care capacity and have at times been forced to turn off air conditioning and delay surgeries due to fuel shortages.”

Added to this Lebanon has taken in 1.5 million refugees since war erupted in neighbouring Syria in 2011. Syrian refugees make up 30% of the country’s population, the highest per capita concentration of refugees in the world.

Bishops’ Appeal has long supported Christian Aid and Tearfund partners in Beirut, in their work with vulnerable communities, not least people living with disabilities, people who are refugees, people who have or are exposed to Gender Based Violence and people in need of basic humanitarian assistance such as food and shelter.

Already in April of this year, Christian Aid partner Basmeh & Zeitooneh [Smile and Olive] reported that they had spoken to families who at that early stage [of lockdown]were already reporting having no food, not even bread in their homes.

“Now, the food crisis will deepen further. The grain stores in the port are completely destroyed. The port is the entry way for Lebanon’s grain imports; they import 90% of their grain for the staple Lebanese bread.”

Bishops’ Appeal has already funded the provision of emergency supplies and increased food and hygiene parcels for people who were destitute because they lost their casual labour jobs during lockdown.

Now, as Christian Aid and Tearfund partners assess the damage and the needs, Bishops’ Appeal extends the opportunity to all parishes and individuals who wish to contribute to these vital efforts to do so via Bishops’ Appeal.  Donations can be made online http://www.bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/give/ or sent to Bishops’ Appeal, Beirut Response, Church of Ireland House, Church Avenue, Rathmines, D6.

Tearfund church partners in the Beirut ask for our continuous prayers saying “Eyes on the Lord, hand to the plough, with faith that He will guide us to safe shores.”

Thank you for your support.

Read updates from Zambia, Sierra Leone, Northern Argentina, Lebanon and beyond to get a clear picture of how your donations to the Bishops’ Appeal have been supporting the world’s most vulnerable people before and during lockdown.

Click here: Bishops Appeal Summer Newsletter 2020

To support these and other efforts, you can donate to the Bishops’ Appeal, selecting our Covid-19 emergency appeal or donating to our General Funds.  One gives relief in times of crisis, the other builds resilience to help withstand crisis.

(Picture of South Sudanese women planting seeds they have received from Christian Aid as part of the Covid-19 emergency response.)

Read about some of the successes and experiences of TEFL grant recipients and then download an application form to begin or enhance your own volunteering journey:

Teaching English to Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants: New Grants Available in 2019

In 2018, Bishops’ Appeal offered a grant to people interested in becoming qualified to teach English as a second language.  There was huge interest in the grant from people all over the island of Ireland and people at all stages of life.  Shortly after the first round of grants had been allocated the father of a successful grant recipient approached me to thank Bishops’ Appeal for the initiative.  His daughter recently finished a Masters and was struggling to find work.  Getting the TEFL qualification had encouraged her to get involved in local outreach and had redirected her thoughts and given her confidence to put into practise her passion for others.

This is not an isolated story.  Some grant recipients were already involved in church or community migrant support groups, but the TEFL course enabled them to bring this volunteering to another level.  Others, through different life experiences, had lost confidence in being able to make a difference and the qualification gave them the boost to reconnect with community groups and to make friends with refugees.  Others again, had no experience in this area but have sought out groups in order to volunteer.  The grant also stirred up a lot of questions for people about the potential for their church to provide the classes if one or more of the parishioners were to become qualified.  It has been exciting to see the potential and the action, when people are given a little support.

Judy in Sligo has great plans for using her qualifications when she has finished wading through the grammar section:

‘We have a large Direct Provision Centre here in Sligo called Globe House where approximately 200 people live along with children. Having personally heard of some of their challenges, I understand how difficult it is for them to learn English and I felt compelled to help in some way. When the grant was advertised in the “Vox” magazine, I applied and was successful. I guess God had something to do with it!

I’m enjoying the TEFL course – the grammar module is certainly a challenge! There is a lot more detail than I recall in school! The course is very well structured and besides the theory, there are videos and demonstrations to further explain concepts and methodologies ; also quizzes with each module which are submitted for grading and are necessary to gain the qualification. The course must be completed within six months. Hopefully I will gain the qualification by early February 2019.

I am hoping to teach TEFL to asylum seekers in one of the local  centres and perhaps too with the ETB (Education Training Board). I have been in contact with one of the tutors and have been asked to contact him when I have completed the course.  I’m also considering if it could be used in church ministry.

I’m looking forward to teaching and using the qualification to help others. I know it will be demanding but also rewarding and fulfilling.  A big ‘ Thank you’  again to the Church of Ireland for the grant.’

 

Marjorie in Galway, has already completed her course and is putting her qualifications to great use:

‘While I was working on the Discovery/Galway Christian Fellowship soup trailer for the homeless I got to know a man from Eastern Europe. Joseph (not his real name) expressed his frustration at finding it difficult to obtain work because of his poor English. No job means no house, No house means living in a hostel or on the streets. No home means it is very difficult to have your children come to visit you. It’s a vicious circle that is so problematic to get out of.

The TEFL course was a bit more demanding than I expected. There are 13 tenses in English! That’s a few more than I was expecting.  On the other hand, it was broken up into bite sized units which helped.

I’m enjoying teaching, as a volunteer, with Galway City Partnership. I have seven students, each from a different country, each trying to fit in with their new culture, find work and care for their families.

Long term, I would love my church, Galway Christian Fellowship, to host an English class as an expression of God’s love to our local community.

Thank you to The Bishops’ Appeal for their support in funding this course.’

Due to the success of the grants in 2018, Bishops’ Appeal will again be funding TEFL courses in 2019.  Where is God calling you to serve this year?  Maybe you feel pushed to connect in with a local community group or your parish could provide the meeting space for conversational classes?  Maybe the Direct Provision Centre in your area can be accessed through English classes and friendships that cross cultures and languages can be born.  Whatever it may be, may you be open to the promptings of the Spirit, and may you celebrate the wonder of serving God: where you, the giver, are enriched in ways that far surpass your own ability to enrich others.

Click here to download: TEFL 2019 Application