This Christmas break, Ramsey Doueiri flew 22 hours to help Lebanese children still reeling from a massive explosion that rocked the Port of Beirut in August.
The San Bernardino teen, whose father’s parents hail from and still live in Lebanon’s capital and largest city, crowd-raised about $4,500 between September and early December to purchase new sports equipment and to cover the cost of building basketball courts at two schools and at least one refugee camp severely affected by the blast.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, the 14-year-old and his father, Dany, boarded a plane with suitcases full of nets, jump ropes, deflated basketballs and more.
A day later, Ramsey landed in Lebanon for the first time.
“Every year my grandparents come to my house and tell me stories about Lebanon back in war times and how much better it is now and how much has changed since then,” said Ramsey, a sophomore at Cajon High School in San Bernardino. “The explosion created economic destruction to an already bad economy and affected little children who had no responsibility for that economic destruction.
“I felt I needed to go help out that country since I’ve learned so much from that country,” Ramsey said. “My dad has told me stories about how much he struggled during war times in Beirut and I want to make sure no one has to go through that ever again.”
On Aug. 4, an explosion apparently caused by the ignition of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate ripped through the port city of Beirut, Lebanon, killing more than 200, wounding 6,500 more and causing billions of dollars in property damage.
Videos of the blast went viral on social media, as those living near and around the epicenter shared footage of their windows shattering, doors flying off the hinges and houses rocking. According to the Associated Press, an initial government assessment said 300,000 people had to leave homes damaged or left uninhabitable by the explosion.
Rescue efforts lasted days, as search teams scoured the rubble for missing persons.
The blast, one of the most powerful artificial non-nuclear explosions in history, prompted a two-week state of emergency.
While his elderly grandparents were among those whose houses were rattled by the blast, Ramsey “was glued to the TV when it showed the destruction,” Dany Doueiri said. “He pushed both my wife and I to do something. But his grandparents were totally against it.
“They were very proud of his empathy to others, but said this is not the time to travel.”
Ramsey, who donates some of his free time to mentoring elementary school students in math and English, understood the risk of traveling during a pandemic and to a country still very much recovering from such a catastrophe, and launched a GoFundMe in September to raise money for his cause.
Before long, his Lebanese Athletic Relief Project was shared among churchgoers and neighbors, at Cajon, Cal State San Bernardino, where his father is a World Languages and Literatures professor, and on social media.
More than 30 donors helped raise $4,500.
“I didn’t really expect that much support because of COVID and many people are out of their jobs,” Ramsey said. “It’s really hard to do a humanitarian effort and receive funding for it, so I’m very, very happy with the amount of people who came in and decided they were going to help these kids in Lebanon during this extremely difficult time.
“It’s a huge reflection of what my community is made of, that we’re willing, during this time, when people are out of jobs, to contribute back to a community that isn’t even theirs.”
Shortly after quarantining in Lebanon for the requisite amount of time, Ramsey bought basketball hoops in town and began prepping the sites for their installation. On a tour of Al-Makassed School in the Ashrafiyeh District of Beirut, one of the hardest hit secondary schools in the area, door frames, windows and classrooms still were in ruins.
His humanitarian work also included painting and installing soccer goal posts and new nets.
In addition to his supply of sports equipment, Ramsey took with him a plaque with the names of his donors.
The memento will be placed in concrete near one of the courts.
“Without them,” Ramsey said of those who contributed, both named and anonymous, “we would not be able to do this project. I am so proud of my community to come together to do this.”
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San Bernardino teen spends holiday break building basketball courts in Beirut - San Bernardino County Sun
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