Small businesses across Lebanon were already struggling prior to the explosion and needed immediate aid. They were facing the most challenging of circumstances and their survival was vital to providing basic goods and services in their neighborhoods. We knew that unconditional cash grants would help small business owners keep their doors open. From a butcher facing eviction from his shop to a former teacher who sold her car to keep her school supply store afloat, we supported 326 small businesses—approximately 29% of them owned by women—with cash grants of $2,500 to $4,500 per business.
Cash gives people dignity. The small business owners we supported gained confidence from deciding how they spent their money. Some shop owners used the cash to rebuild and restock their businesses while others fixed their homes and paid outstanding bills. The goal of cash assistance in emergencies is to help people recover in ways that best work for them. “I was already late on the house payments because I was fixing everything after the blast and short on school payments and fixing the shop at the same time,” said Samiha, salon owner and hair stylist who has been in business for 20 years. She had employed four people but could only pay one assistant while recovering from the explosion. “Because of [Mercy Corps’] help, we got a push forward.”
Cash gives people dignity. The small business owners we supported gained confidence from deciding how they spent their money. Some shop owners used the cash to rebuild and restock their businesses while others fixed their homes and paid outstanding bills. The goal of cash assistance in emergencies is to help people recover in ways that best work for them. “I was already late on the house payments because I was fixing everything after the blast and short on school payments and fixing the shop at the same time,” said Samiha, salon owner and hair stylist who has been in business for 20 years. She had employed four people but could only pay one assistant while recovering from the explosion. “Because of [Mercy Corps’] help, we got a push forward.”
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