Lebanon donation-matching goal with Ottawa is falling short, charities say

The federal government has pledged to double every dollar the Humanitarian Coalition of charities raises until Nov. 3, to a maximum of $3 million, for emergency supports.

A coalition of Canadian charitable groups is raising the alarm about a shortfall in donations to help with Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis, as Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly joined colleagues at a summit to try helping the country cope with the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes.

France hosted dozens of countries at the summit on Thursday, which it said had raised US$1 billion in pledges for Lebanon. A fifth of that is for the country’s military while the rest is targeted at humanitarian aid.

Canada has already allocated just under $50 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon this year, but Canadian charities say they’re falling short of a goal set with Ottawa to match donations.

The federal government has pledged to double every dollar the Humanitarian Coalition raises until Nov. 3, to a maximum of $3 million. The funding goes to charities like Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision to provide things like emergency shelter and medical support.

As of Thursday, the group had raised just $1.825 million of the $3 million Ottawa pledged to match two weeks ago.

The coalition’s executive director Richard Morgan said a global focus on geopolitics of the war, instead of its resulting carnage, might be behind the slow uptake in donations.

“It’s worrisome, to be honest,” Morgan said. “It’s, for example, at a much smaller pace compared to how Canadians rallied in 2020 after the blast in the Port of Beirut.”

He fears there will be an outbreak of communicable diseases in cramped shelters that still need to be winterized. Morgan said donations help with everything from reuniting children and parents who have been separated to providing women with menstrual products. He said a $35 donation feeds a typical family for a week.