Guilt-riven expats ship aid to loved ones as crisis bites

Lebanese expats in the UAE, many of them riven with guilt, are scrambling to ship essential goods and medicine to family and friends in their crisis-stricken home country.

“How can I sit in the comfort of my home in air-conditioning and a full fridge knowing that my people, my friends and family, are struggling back home?” said Jennifer Houchaime.

“Oh, the guilt is very, very real,” said the 33-yearold resident of Dubai, which is home to tens of thousands of Lebanese. “It’s guilt, shame and nostalgia.”

Social media appeals

Social media platforms are filled with posts by Lebanese appealing for contacts abroad to send basic goods such as baby formula, diapers, painkillers, coffee and sanitary pads.

For Dima Hage Hassan, 33, a trip to Lebanon opened her eyes to the unfolding disaster. “I was in Lebanon, and I had money, and I had a car with fuel, and I went around from pharmacy to pharmacy unable to find medicine for my mother’s ear infection,” she said.

A fellow Lebanese, Sarah Hassan, packed for her second trip home in less than two months, taking only a few personal items while the rest was supplies for family and friends.

Lebanon’s currency has plunged to an all-time low, sparking inflation and eroding the purchasing power of a population. Lebanon is running out of everything, from fuel and gas to medicine and bread, and more than threequarters of its population is now considered to be living under the poverty line.

I was in Lebanon, and I had money, and I had a car with fuel, and I went around from pharmacy to pharmacy unable to find medicine for my mother’s ear infection.”

Dima Hage Hassan | Lebanese expat