SMEX is working to bridge the connectivity gap for our communities in Lebanon, ensuring they can have access to essential digital services and are aware of threats at all times.
We are all hearing the stories: your elderly parents and grandparents are displaced and looking for shelter, food, medication; the basic needs of survival, and struggling to connect with aid distribution agencies. Your siblings are now juggling working from home with unreliable internet connections while caring for their children who can no longer go to their schools that have been converted to shelters.
Your cousins, nieces, and nephews are unable to keep up their education as they’ve lost access to WiFi, electricity and charged batteries, and in some cases – their devices altogether. Your friends don’t know whether they should flee their homes as they haven’t been receiving alerts of bomb threats in their neighborhood.
It seems everyone is repeatedly receiving threatening calls from unknown numbers, fueling greater fear, anxiety, and confusion. No one is able to tell for certain which threats are true and which ones are false. Others are anxious, scared, and overwhelmed due to the rising disinformation campaigns and hate speech.
Left: Souhail*’s family has lunch in an empty class inside the school they are sheltering in. Right: Displaced communities take refuge in tents in Central Beirut. Photos by Adeeb Farhat.
For our communities in Lebanon, this is the daily reality, with more than 1.2 million people—1 in 5—who are displaced. They are our families and loved ones that we try to connect with for updates everyday. And everyday, it’s becoming clearer that this lack of connectivity isn’t merely an inconvenience; it’s a barrier to safety, education, and dignity.
As part of a global and regional digital rights movement, we must take immediate action to ensure our loved ones can stay informed, connected, and safe.
But SMEX cannot do this alone. We need you.
Join us in our mission to protect the right to stay connected in times of war. We are directly asking you for help: Donate to SMEX.
By donating, you can directly help communities in Lebanon by:
- Assisting people to stay connected, especially to aid agencies and other donors, and allowing them receive evacuation orders and news
- Guiding people on how to react when receiving threatening calls
- Ensuring that children have access to remote learning
- Protecting residents’ digital safety in times of war
Make a one-time donationEvery contribution makes a difference.DonateMake a monthly donationYour contribution is appreciated.Donate monthlyMake a yearly donationYour contribution is appreciated.Donate yearly
Featured image: Displaced children shelter in a school in Beirut, have limited access to resources. Photo by Adeeb Farhat.
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