“Before the economic collapse and Covid-19, we used to live a normal life,” says Tatiana, a 31-year-old mother of two in Lebanon. “We never imagined that at some point we will need help to provide the basic needs for our family. Last year, my husband lost his job and was not able to find anything else. As for me, I was dismissed from my job just after having my second baby.”

Staff working with the charitable organisation World Vision met Tatiana as part of their extensive development work in Lebanon and heard her story. It’s a nation where Covid-19 was just one crisis among several that crippled the economy and caused public services to collapse.

In the second year of the Covid crisis, a donor in China made an offer of a staggering 14 million face masks.

We worked with our network to match them with World Vision. They distributed the masks to their projects in Lebanon, Somalia and Lesotho. The scale of their operations is extensive enough that they could handle such a huge donation, and we were grateful that they could use them.

For people like Tatiana in Lebanon, the support of World Vision has been significant. Staff worked among communities distributing hygiene kits and face masks, along with other essentials, and raising Covid-19 awareness. Elias, another beneficiary, said to World Vision at the time, “Last year my parents suffered from Covid-19, yet we were not able to get all the needed hygiene items due to the financial situation. This support will definitely help. We will be able to buy essential groceries with the money we can save from buying the hygiene items.”