Get Tracy & Saria to safety from Lebanon

Mandy Tagney is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

My name is Mandy and I’m raising funds to help bring Tracy and Saria to safety from the tragic new war zone in Lebanon.

I am their friend and their employer. They are my girls. My Lebanese legends. My rocks. My life lines.

Please help me raise funds to assist me in repatriating them to Spain so I can keep them safe from the war there against Israel which is claiming more innocent lives by the day.

All flights I have purchased to date have been cancelled and with only one airline now brave enough to fly to and from Beirut, tickets are extortionate as people are desperate to flee the country which borders with Israel and Syria.

I have managed to source and fund what appear to be the last two remaining seats and am keeping everything crossed that this flight doesn’t get cancelled and indeed that they can make it safely to the airport in Beirut on Tuesday 8th October.

I am still waiting on refunds for the other cancelled flights whilst my children and I are rearranging our home in the hope that we can welcome them and support them on Wednesday next week for as long as we need to.

(From left; Tracy, Mandy (me), Saria)

We met online when I employed them to work remotely for my business a little over two years ago. I was blown away by their loyalty and support when they were able to see that a colleague at the time was being dangerously dishonest. Tracy and Saria hadn’t met prior to working for me and I was filled with joy as I saw their friendship blossom into something truly special. They would regularly video call me on a night out together in Lebanon and I always looked forward to seeing their beaming smiles and the incredible places they went out to.

I have been through many challenges and struggles since we met, including family court proceedings, domestic violence and a move to Spain and whilst Tracy and Saria are employed by me, they rapidly became far, far more than ‘just employees’ to me and in fact have been by my side in spirit through some of the toughest times in my life.

Last summer 2023, I booked myself a flight to visit them in person in Lebanon. I had one of the most incredible weeks of my entire life with them and our bond became even stronger than ever. I found Lebanon to be a fascinating and beautiful country and vowed to take my children with me to visit them again this summer 2024.

Sadly, as the conflict with Israel became more tense, all travel to Lebanon was advised against. However, not to be deterred and determined to be together again, we set about applying for a visa for them to visit us in Spain. We applied for a 10 day visa and held little hope of receiving it as the days passed and the conflict worsened.

Imagine our surprise and excitement when they collected their passports from the embassy to discover a 3 month visa each! After a couple of cancelled flights, they were eventually en route to Spain via Turkey and our beloved colleague, Aldo, also made his way to Spain via the UK so we could all be together for the first time! We spent a magical couple of weeks together as their return flights also got cancelled but eventually we found a route for them to return to their families in Lebanon.

I often wondered why Tracy and Saria were given a 3 month visa when they only applied for 10 days and now I believe the answer is clear. So that I can rescue them, just as they’ve rescued me in my times of need.

(Tracy, Aldo, me, Saria - Express Tax Claims team)

I’m a great believer in paying it forward and nothing would give me more pleasure than to be able to bring them to my home in Spain and to offer them safety, peace, love and security.

It scares me to think there are a matter of days before their visa expires and all remaining flights will inevitably be cancelled. Their ‘plan b’ is to flee with their families to Syria. Imagine how bad it must be for that to be a better and safer option.

This is an expensive gesture which I am all too happy to make, but knowing I’m not the only kind hearted person in this world, I am reaching out for your financial support.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart (and theirs) for any donations, however large or small. ❤️