Amal and George Clooney Donate $100,000 to Lebanese Relief Charities After Beirut Explosion
Amal and George Clooney are donating a total of $100,000 to Lebanese charities helping provide aid in the capital city of Beirut, which was devastated by Tuesday’s massive explosion.
“We’re both deeply concerned for the people of Beirut and the devastation they’ve faced in the last few days,” the Clooneys said in a statement released Thursday.
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“Three charitable organizations we’ve found are providing essential relief on the ground: the Lebanese Red Cross, Impact Lebanon, and Baytna Baytak. We will be donating these three $100,000 and hope that others will help in any way they can,” the couple added.
The explosion on Tuesday killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 more. Beirut’s city governor Marwan Abboud said up to 300,000 people have lost their homes. The explosion was detonated by 2,700 tons of stored ammonium nitrate and obliterated a portion of Beirut.
The Lebanese government has declared a two-week state of emergency, effectively giving the military full powers. Lebanon was already mired in a severe economic crisis.
Amal Clooney is a native of Lebanon who works as an attorney with a specialty in international law and human rights. The Clooneys were married in 2014.
The couple donated more than $1 million earlier this year to coronavirus relief efforts, with $250,000 each to the Motion Picture and Television Home, the SAG-AFTRA Fund, and Los Angeles Mayor’s Fund and an additional $300,000 to three international charities: the Lebanese Food Bank, Lombardo Italy Region and the U.K.’s National Health Service.
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