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.”
Featured stories
A RUNNING SPRING OR A DRY RIVER
In 2024, cash and voucher assistance represented about a third (USD 358.7 million) of the humanitarian response in Lebanon. This is nearly double the global average of 17.8 percent in the same year and reflects the recognition that cash, whenever feasible, is a...
VOICES OF VULNERABILITY: A needs Assessment in Lebanon’s Akkar, Bekaa, and Southern regions
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Lebanon is currently experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis driven by a combination of factors, including decades of political instability, an economic collapse classified by the World Bank as one of the most severe globally in over 150 years,...
Cash in Armed Conflict – A Feasibility Assessment of Cash Assistance in Lebanon
Since September 2024, the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah has caused the displacement of over 1 million people and large humanitarian suffering in Lebanon. The humanitarian response has prioritized distributing in-kind assistance to displaced...
