Serving for Love: A Drop of Hope in a Sea of Despair
Amongst the tragedies and miseries that people are going through day by day is a ray of hope that still manages to shine through: NGOs.
Serving for Love is a local Lebanese NGO that has been present in the field for over nine years now. It primarily cares for the needs of the most vulnerable people in its area — but not limited to Naqqache, Dbayeh, and Antelias.
Over the years, the organization has gathered dozens of families in need and has acted as a cornerstone to many, providing them with monthly food donations, hygiene and cleaning supplies, and clothes.
The selection process of the families in need comes down to the main element: vulnerability. When going over the applications of people seeking help, the association prioritizes the most vulnerable first and then goes on to look onto the less vulnerable. However, they are limited to an unsteady number of people to help due to the fluctuating state of donations.
“We always make sure to evaluate and thoroughly study each application we receive to assure that we are helping the most helpless,” explained Venus Mehchi VicePresident of the NGO. “Each month is different. Some months we get to help a great deal of people and others not so many. It all depends on the donations we receive.”
The organization usually relies on monetary donations but also counts on food stock contributions, supplies contributions, and even clothing donations.
On some occasions, Serving for Love receives donations from other NGOs that received a surplus of donations. Most of the time, these donations come from big international NGOs such as Rotary International.
“I like to see it as NGOs helping NGOs. We receive a lot of help from NGOs while we also extend a hand to some of them. Ultimately, we all aim to help as many people as we can.” said Venus.
With the economic situation worsening day by day, it has been hard for the association to maintain the same level of quality it has been renowned for. However, volunteers of the organization look at the situation as yet another reason to proceed with their work and even thrive harder.
“I come with my mom here all the time,” said Luna Hamandi, a regular volunteer of Serving for Love. “I remember not so long ago, we used to receive monthly donations of fruits and vegetables, and I used to think to myself how much of a hassle and a pain in the neck it used to be to bag fruits and vegetables. But now I wish we would receive that again.”
The organization was fortunate enough to expand its territories into two separate headquarters before the pandemic, which allowed them to expand as well their working sphere.
