I'd do it for my Homeland

The world stood still recently, shocked by images of an explosion in Beirut : the third largest in human history. 

The collateral damage   impossible to measure amidst a global pandemic, political instability and an economic crisis fuelled by US sanctions on the country; the counts of people injured, killed and displaced kept rising.

As a Lebanese-born Australian, it was not easy waking up to this news.  Having lived through most of the civil war before migrating to Australia, and having watched my homeland continue to suffer blow after blow over the years, "Not again!" is the first thing I remember thinking. 

In minutes I learned that the explosion had impacted the part of Beirut I grew up in and relatives who were still living there were affected by the blast. I know from social media outpouring of posts and comments that the majority of Lebanese living in the diaspora felt the same helplessness I felt in that moment, the sorrow and the yearning to fly over to Lebanon and suffer with 'my people' and be part of the rebuilding.

Sitting in Melbourne under Stage 4 restrictions put in place to curb the COVID19 outbreak, I struggled even more with feeling so debilitated from reaching out to my community here, take comfort in being around others, and even to visit the city centre and physically view the buildings lit up by Melbourne City Council in the Lebanese flag colours . 

I've been racking my brains to figure out what I can do to help and then it dawned on me in a lighthearted conversation with a friend. As I joked about the dismal state of my hair in this lock-down, ringlet curls rebelling against any sense of uniformity, I decided then and there to shave off my hair if I could raise enough money for it and donate those funds to Lebanon.

My hair - behaving better than it is now - photo taken in Bhamdoun, Lebanon 2017 during my last visit there.  Just behind me, is an unflattering view of my sister - I envisage her looking at me like that as I shave off the head mop.


The more I thought about it, the more I resonated with the idea. Part of the pain of living so far away from my place of birth and watching it suffer time after time, whilst I bask in the privilege of living in a Western country, is the sense I have that "I was meant to be there", "I'm not meant to have this privileged life".

I know I don't live and feel the same sense of loss that my family and compatriots over there live with so frequently (if not incessantly). My hair is somewhat my trademark. If I straighten it I can cause a flood of emotional responses from people (both positive and negative, but often strongly felt) - here's a preview:

'professional me' as I call this image :)

So, in solidarity with the people of Lebanon (incl the expats who are living there and felt the impact of this blast), some of whom have lost their lives, suffered great injuries, lost their homes and/or livelihoods - I vow to shave off my hair if I can raise a minimum of $2500.


I'm aware and grateful that so many fundraising campaigns have been started so far and that many of my friends and contacts have already donated, and I thank you all from the depth of my heart. That is why I'm keeping the target lower and anything above that will just be more helpful.

I have chosen to support Arc en Ciel (aec) for a number of reasons:

- people on the ground in Lebanon that I personally know spoke extremely highly of it
- they are Lebanese-established, owned and run since 1985 (and have since established a sister organisation in France and the USA ).
- they are one of few organisations working so hard on issues that I also care about  - environmental sustainability, recycling, waste management, medical care, supporting people with disabilities and empowering young people
- they are the only organisation currently helping Lebanese people to with furniture damage and restoration.

All the money raised will go to Arc en Ciel Lebanon.

I have made direct contact with their programs lead (Zeina El-Helou) and fundraising lead  (Maria Kayed) to arrange the transfer.  The easiest way to do this is to collect the money here and then donate it directly to them in one go. The money raised will go towards their furniture restoration program with some of the funds to buy food and water for their numerous volunteers on the ground. 

As soon as we hit $2000 here, I will shave my hair off and post a video of it for your eyes to weep over (perhaps that's directed at my mama... lol). 

You will receive a full image and evidence of the money raised being donated and received by aec. We will keep you updated with progress on their work in Lebanon. You are welcome to ask me questions about this at any time and GoFundMe has confirmed that they will monitor this fundraiser and make sure it's legit :)

The more we can raise the better of course.

Peace and love to you all.