The “Hariri Aid & Relief” Office began its operations following the Israeli invasion in 1982. The destruction and population displacement that followed the attack, severely affected the Lebanese citizens’ social and living conditions in Beirut and the regions.

Following various initiatives and name changes, the “Hariri Aid & Relief” Office was organized under the Hariri Foundation umbrella in 1984. At the time, the office was one of the Foundations’ many sections, and remained so until 1986, when it became independent in terms of management and dedicated its mission to the humanitarian, social and health aspects exclusively. Following the tragic assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri on 14th February 2005, the “Hariri Aid & Relief” Office was renamed: “Martyr Rafic Hariri Assistance Office”.

The Office has provided various kinds of aid; the mechanisms and modus operandi on the basis of which the aid was managed and distributed was somewhat imposed by the demands of the civil war. Whether targeting individuals or groups, the aid provided by the Office addressed various sectors such as:

• Rehabilitation of Public Schools in Beirut.
• Treatment of the effects of the flood disaster in the village of Fakha – Baalbeck.
• Rehabilitation of many mosques and churches.
• Rehabilitation of the “Three Doctors” school in Achrafieh – Beirut.
• Rehabilitation of Barbir Hospital.
• Medical supplies and furniture for the Greek Orthodox Hospital.
• Rehabilitation of Rawas residential area in Tarik Jdideh following a violent explosion targeting the area.
• Distribution of food aid in the villages during the “Mountain War blockade”.
• Distribution of food all over Lebanon, reaching one million portions in one single year.
  

Type of Assistance Provided

a. Individual Assistance

This aspect of the Office’s activities is focused on the citizens’ health & medical needs on one hand, and the social and living conditions on the other. Since 1986, the number of families benefiting from this type of aid has reached 92,215, equivalent to 766,241 individuals.
 
Individuals benefiting from such aid may do so in an ongoing but not systematic or regular basis. Those who were the beneficiaries of such aid on a one-off occasion total well over 100,000.


b. Medical Assistance

This aspect is mainly articulated around offering the financial settlement of any excess amount to be paid by citizens in case of hospitalization, and in particular to those who do not enjoy a private medical insurance cover and are unable to cover all the aspects of hospitalization costs. This type of medical aid covers the difference that the citizens have to pay, i.e. the difference between the total cost and the cost covered by the Social Security. In general, most of the beneficiaries of such aid belong to the working class, are self-employed or unemployed, and therefore get hospitalized on the account of the Social Security or the Ministry of Health.

The Office has established direct relationships with most hospitals, which greatly facilitates the mechanisms of assistance to patients. In effect, the difference in costs covered by the Office applies to all sorts of surgical interventions, IRM, X-rays, laboratory exams, etc…

Such assistance can financially range from small amounts not exceeding USD 100, all the way to tens of thousands of dollars, according to the nature of the surgical intervention required and the total expenses associated to it.

Moreover, the Office can provide medicines for chronic cures, by purchasing them directly from pharmacies and delivering them to the patients; especially widows, disabled or elderly people, or those whose financial medicine needs far exceed their monthly income.

c. Social Assistance

The social aspect takes care of the living conditions of the citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, such as those living below poverty levels. The Office’s contributions are provided in many ways, however, in an unsystematic basis through direct small cash donations or through the distribution of food portions, especially during the month of Ramadan. In 2005, such aid totaled around 100,000 food portions distributed throughout Lebanon. Yearly distribution has regularly increased and is expected to continue to do so.

Non-Governmental Organizations

This aspect of the Office’s activities aims to create a framework for consolidating the collaboration between civil society organizations and develop a network between them, to increase cooperation possibilities. The Office tries to answer the needs of organizations whenever possible, and supports some of these by way of donations, in order to increase the number of beneficiaries.

The organizations which benefit from the Office’s aid are divided into three categories:

• Special Care Organizations including orphanages, institutions for the disabled or for social rehabilitation.
• Non Governmental Social Organizations in the regions providing human development by providing training for the improvement of individual skills and capacities or the implementation of activities geared towards the public betterment on the environmental and civic education levels, etc.
• Various Cooperative Associations; the Office provides special support to agricultural cooperatives in the rural regions and their sustainable development projects.

The Development Aspect

These activities differ in times of war from those offered in times of peace. Throughout the war years, assistance tried to address the specific needs generated by the consequences of war and its aftermath. 

During the latest Israeli aggression which started on July 12th 2006, the “Martyr Rafic Hariri Assistance Office”  provided aid in many forms, such as the distribution of hot food meals, food portions, providing shelters, mattresses and blankets, instant money contributions to cover urgent necessities, rehabilitation of public schools following the departure of the displaced people etc…

In times of peace, the Office collaborates with NGOs and civil society organizations and coalitions in implementing developmental projects in the regions, such as sanitary infrastructure, drains for used water in the villages, rehabilitation of public schools, and agricultural projects (greenhouses, manure, seeds, tractors...).

The Office is also active in promoting rural women’s conditions and empowering them to become professionally able, with the objective of increasing their families’ income revenues.

Yearly Budget

The yearly budget of the “Martyr Rafic Hariri Assistance Office” amounts to USD 5 Million, covering all the activities mentioned above. In certain years, this amount increased due to exceptional initiatives undertaken by the late Rafic Hariri.