September 2020: In light of the massive explosion that shook Beirut on August 4th 2020, LG electronics and its official distributor of consumer electronics in Lebanon, Sealco, have partnered with Caritas Lebanon, with the goal of helping the city’s most vulnerable families by changing their damaged home appliances – and giving hope for a better tomorrow.
The blast caused a huge loss of human life and immense destruction with thousands of people wounded and 300,000 people displaced from their homes. To alleviate the damage and bring people a step closer to recovering from this disaster, LG electronics and Sealco donated 100,000 USD worth of LG products in partnership with Caritas Lebanon who will be responsible of screening and selecting the families that are most in need.
From an ongoing financial crisis leading to overwhelming inflation rates with jobs disappearing every day and poverty rising out of control, to a huge explosion that destroyed Beirut, Lebanese people are morally and mentally exhausted. It comes with no doubt that today, more than ever, citizens need to unite and stick together, to get through this tough period. For this reason, LG and Sealco felt the urge to support the underprivileged families that were most affected by the blast by replacing their damaged home appliances with state-of-the-art new LG products, including TVs, Fridges, Washing Machines, microwaves and air conditioners, from Sealco – LG brandshop, located on Dora Highway.
With their core philosophy based on humanity combined with their efforts to build close relationships with consumers around the world, this initiative comes part of LG and Sealco’s corporate values and represents their dedication to enhance individual lives and communities by offering an added value. This altruism is further illustrated by Sealco and LG employees who volunteered with Caritas Lebanon in the damaged streets of Mar Mikhael to lend a hand to the afflicted and offer hot meals. This highlights LG and Sealco’s commitment to live by the brand promise that Life is Good with LG.
In response to the disaster, Johnny Jeong, LG Lebanon country manager, stated: “We are devastated about what happened. We would like to present our deepest condolences to every family that has suffered, in a way or another, from this incident. It goes without saying that it is our responsibility to do everything to help in any way we can. With that purpose in mind, we have decided to work alongside Caritas Lebanon to help people rebuild their homes and regain their everyday lives, one step at a time.”
Hassan Shaker, Sealco CEO and Ibrahim Abdul Ghani, Sealco shareholder & General Manager also added in a joint statement: “Offering home appliances to the most vulnerable and affected people is our way of saying that we are standing by them and supporting them throughout these tough times. What happened was catastrophic and they should not focus on anything other than their recovery. My best wishes go to everyone affected. Stay Strong.”
LG and Sealco strategically partnered with Caritas Lebanon to ensure fair selection of the families that will benefit from this donation based on their on-ground assessment and extensive database and reliable selection criteria. With its devotion to respond to humanitarian crises, relieve suffering and help rebuild livelihoods and communities, Caritas has for mission to promote charity and justice throughout the world. Fr. Michel Abboud, Caritas Lebanon President mentioned in a heartfelt statement: “We are very happy to partner with LG and Sealco to help our grieving population. For more than 46 years now, we have helped over 30,000 families throughout Lebanon. Today, because of the Beirut Blast an increasing number of families need support. Indeed, we have been taking care of more than 50,000 families in recovering from the disaster. This donation will certainly make a difference to many families, but the most vulnerable are our priority: We will study each case individually to ensure a fair selection and help who need it the most.”
The program, which will be managed by Caritas Lebanon, will be effective for a period of one year whereas beneficiaries will get their new home appliances in the form of a gift voucher, redeemable at Sealco LG brand shop. The Sealco delivery and technical teams will work closely to deliver and install the new items in the families’ homes, guarantying a smooth operation for a brighter future.