Aleb Progress Report - 2021 H1

On behalf of Aleb, we would like to thank our donors for their generous donations to families in need in Lebanon.

Since the launch of Aleb, their commitment has helped sustain the livelihood of low-income families who have been most affected by Lebanon's catastrophic economic crisis. Their support during these incredibly difficult times will forever be appreciated.

In partnership with Al Majmoua and incubated by LebNet, Aleb has just completed its first two quarters since its launch in Dec 2020. With the donors' help, Aleb was able to sponsor 47 families, with 44 having already received 4 disbursements.

During this pilot phase, Aleb and Al Majmoua have done their best to reduce transaction costs and ensure that families received their donations as promptly as possible. To make the process most efficient, we scheduled two disbursements per month, on the 15th and 30th. So any sponsored family would receive their first USD 200 disbursement within 15 days from donors pushing the “donate” button.

The money flow has also been kept simple during this phase to minimize costs. It is transferred from LebNet’s PayPal account to Al Majmoua’s account at Bank Audi, in what is now known locally as “fresh” dollars (or real dollars). Representatives from Al Majmoua pick up the cash from the bank and carry it over to OMT (Western Union). All disbursements to the end beneficiary are done exclusively through OMT.

How was the donation spent?

Some families have tried to invest in their struggling businesses or create a new business to generate income, but the vast majority have used it to cover their families’ necessary basic living needs:

• 91% of the sponsored families used it to cover basics such as food or fixing much needed home appliances such as stoves and refrigerators

• Donations were also spent on medication (68%), settling debts (14%), paying rent (14%), school tuition (5%) and clothing (2%).

• 45% of the beneficiaries managed to use the money on their business expansion: buying new business tools or equipment (16%), and purchasing inventory (7%)

What did the families have to say?

We interviewed each of the 44 families Aleb sponsored, and have reported their comments here. This a representative family:

NSC70: 41-year-old woman living in Rashaya, Lebanon

“I am suffering from colon cancer and Aleb helped me purchase food for my family and medication, covering 30% of my basic living needs. Your support helped me in paying 2,000,000 LBP out of 15,000,000 LBP for my colon cancer chemotherapy treatment. I hope I can manage to insure my medical treatment and afford the requested amount to finish my treatment. Maybe then I can open my own food shop and support my family because Aleb is now our only source of income. I can’t find the right words to describe the Aleb initiative and how to thank you for helping us. I hope that this initiative lasts longer so I can afford my treatment and start my own business.”

Sadly, the testimonials paint a picture of enduring hardship. While each family is hoping to be able to overcome the hardships and resume income-generating activities in the future, they fear that their financial conditions are likely to continue to worsen in the short-term.

Thank you to our donors for helping and bringing relief to our vulnerable Lebanese families. We hope that you will continue your support past the initial six months.

Thank you also for putting your trust in Aleb. We continue to stand by our commitment to support the vulnerable and low-income population by being the link between you and those in need in Lebanon.