Association of Rotary Clubs in Lebanon distributed 11 tons of infant formula
to benefit the needy in different regions as well as the families of the military
Friday 25 February 2022, the Association of Rotary Clubs in Lebanon presided by Mr. Joe Kanaan in collaboration with Rotary Club Beirut Cedars distributed 11 tons of infant formula, which it secured in cooperation with the Rotary clubs in Belgium and Italy. Needy families from different regions as well as the families of the military will benefit from it.
The quantity in question included ten tons of baby milk shipped by sea from Belgium and was distributed in the presence of the Belgian Ambassador Hubert Cooreman. The shipment was secured with funding from the joint committee of the Rotary clubs in Belgium, Luxembourg and Lebanon headed by Sami Alouf, the Rotary Club of Brussels, and the joint committee of the clubs of France and Lebanon – Rotary District 1750, and the Rotary Club of London, while the CMA CGM Company donated the freight without any charges.
The batch also included one ton of baby milk flown in from Italy and donated by the Rotary Foundation of Milan.
The milk boxes were distributed to the twenty-eight Rotary clubs in Lebanon, which in turn delivered them to the beneficiary families. Part of the total amount was allocated to the Lebanese army and to two associations in Akkar and Donnye, which were previously identified by the donors.
Thus, the total quantities of infant formula distributed by the Rotary Club of Beirut Cedars, the main Rotary club behind this initiative, rose to 24 tons in recent months. The milk was provided by donations from Rotary clubs in Lebanon and from different countries of the diaspora, such as Chile, Canada, Finland, Britain and France, in addition to Belgium and Italy, as well as contributions from friendly entities.
Along the shipment was also received a donation of medical equipment and materials dedicated to the Rosary Hospital, from two Belgian hospitals: Fineghem, managed by Dr. Yves Fortem, and Sherik, managed by Dr. Nicolas Daoud, and the European-Lebanese Medical Association (SMEL).
The Rotary Club Beirut Cedars’ president, Ronald Farra, who offered his warehouse and showroom for the storage and event that took place considered that “these gifts represent the core of the Rotary values that form the guiding principles of the organization’s culture, most notably “service, diversity and integrity.”
Ambassador Cooreman
As for Ambassador Cooreman, in his speech, he stressed on “the importance of solidarity in every crisis, whether it is a war, an economic crisis, or a natural crisis,” especially “cross-border solidarity as expressed by civil organizations such as the Rotary Clubs.”
He recalled that “the government of Belgium, after the horrific explosion of the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, showed its solidarity with the Lebanese people, and rushed to its aid.” In this context, it provided “7.10 million euros in humanitarian aid in the days following the explosion, followed by another funding of seven million last year, and secured four million euros this year.”
He stressed that these initiatives at the level of the Belgian government “are not the only kind of solidarity in recent years,” as “support has been provided from the Lebanese community in Belgium and from Belgian companies, thanks to the old friendship between the two countries and the two people, and thanks to the vibrant Lebanese community in Belgium and the Belgian community In Lebanon.”
