THE PARENTS’ COMMITTEE: Supporting War Relief Efforts

In their usual swift response, the Parents’ Committee of Ras Beirut (PCRB) sprang into action. Refugees were arriving by the tens of thousands in Beirut. They desperately needed mattresses, clothes, food, water, and hygiene packs. Their survival depended on it. More refugees kept arriving, battered and exhausted, fleeing the relentless bombardment.

L to R: Karim Kabbani ’15, Pamela Maalouf‘02(ICPCmember),Gezairi employee,AbirBawarshi’98,Dana Kaaki Sinno (ICPC member), Gezairi employee, Salma Fawaz Charafeddine (ICPC member), Maya Hallab ‘10 ( ICPC volunteer), Nadine Fawaz Remlawi ‘98 ( ICPC member),Celina Balaa Jelwan ’98 (ICPC volunteer)

Naturally, it was too much for the Parents’ Committee to handle alone. Then, someone had an idea—contact the Beirut municipality. An agreement was reached: the PCRB would gather as many supplies as possible, while the municipality would survey the schools and inform the PCRB of the exact needs of those sheltering in the area.

Donations poured in—cash and goods. Soon, the IC parking lot overflowed with clothes, canned food, shoes, hygiene packs, detergents, diapers. The Ain Aar Parents’ Committee also sent in large donations. There was enough to fill a truck. Except, they did not have a truck. Fortunately, Abir Bawarshi ‘98, the head of the PCRB, is the Administration Director at Gezairi Transport, her familyowned freight forwarding, shipping, and logistics company based in Lebanon. She procured a truck. This was to be their first load.

But then, an IC employee approached them just as they loaded the truck. They said that they too had been displaced and were short on a lot of things.

Bawarshi was taken aback. Of course. IC employees – those living in Dahieh and its surroundings – were affected, too. Not all had relatives to stay with. The first shipment was halted.

Charity begins at home. The PCRB discovered that 33 displaced IC security staff and physical plant workers had been affected. All were invited to select what they needed; if they didn’t have it, the PCRB purchased it. The truck was then reloaded with new donations. (Twenty-four displaced teachers also received supermarket vouchers).

For the next three weeks, the PCRB worked tirelessly, collecting donations, sorting them, and loading them onto trucks. Some items were donated, while others the PCRB purchased with the funds they raised. The Gezairi trucks were put to good use, sometimes picking up and delivering donated goods directly from contributing factories. Every truck was filled to capacity at each pickup, whether from IC or directly from the donors. Eight schools in the vicinity, housing anywhere from 300 to 800 displaced people, became the final destinations for aid.

“When the donated money ran out, we dipped into our PCRB (IC HOPE) fund,” Bawarshi said.

Bawarshi was no stranger to disaster. Just four years earlier, the Gezairi headquarters had been destroyed in the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Despite the economic crisis that followed, the company managed to rebuild and retain all its employees. But now, it was a different challenge altogether—33 of their employees had been displaced when Israel began its onslaught in September.

Bawarshi and the company took immediate action, renting apartments and providing needed supplies for each displaced family. “These people have served us for years,” she said. “We couldn’t just turn our backs on them.”

Many members of the PCRB have fled the country – for the time being. But still, Bawarshi and the remaining group keep thinking of ways to help the IC community first and the displaced second. “The people working with us all are amazing human beings,” she said, adding that the IC community had rallied together in a time of need.

“I think the continuity of the school depends on the community at this time,” she said. “This includes the alumni, parents, teachers, students, and administration. I think it will be a tough time for a long time. We need to depend on each other.”