On August 4th, 2020, a major explosion of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of Beirut caused unfathomable damage, nearly 200 deaths and 6500 injuries. Property damage to the surrounding areas (and as far as 10 kilometres away) is estimated at 10-16 billion USD. Many homes and businesses were completely destroyed, leaving an estimated 300 000 citizens homeless.

Less than one kilometre away from the explosion site is Baffa House, a historic building in the Mar Mikhaël district, the heart of Beirut. Ranked number one on Tripadvisor out of over 50 B&B’s and Inns in Beirut, Baffa House is a unique boutique guesthouse for travellers visiting the city in search of an authentic experience away from touristy attractions. It is also home to Samer Ghorayeb, his wife Jessica, and two young children, Yann and Tom, who live on the upper floor of the building. Ghorayeb has been operating Baffa House for the past few years, in honour of his grandfather Antonio Baffa, the original owner of the building, who migrated from Italy to Beirut in the early 1900s.

The explosion caused massive damage to the interior of the Baffa House and is currently uninhabitable. By a stroke of luck, Ghorayeb and his family were not home on the afternoon of the explosion, as they had taken a day trip several kilometres away. Though lucky to be alive and uninjured, Ghorayeb and his family have not only lost their home, but also their business.

In the months leading up to the explosion, Ghorayeb struggled with almost zero occupancy at Baffa House due to economic crisis in Lebanon and COVID-19 travel restrictions. “I’ve now poured all my savings to keep it open while hoping for a better day; then came this explosion,” writes Ghorayeb, on the GoFundMe page set up to help rebuild Baffa House.

Help from Near & Far
Soon after the explosion, Ghorayeb’s Scottish friend, Firas Khnaisser, started the GoFundMe campaign in the hopes of raising 25 thousand British Pounds (roughly 32 thousand USD) to help rebuild Baffa House, as it is structurally still standing but completely destroyed on the inside. At the time of this publication, the campaign has raised more than 30 thousand British Pounds. “All the funds I manage to raise in this campaign will go into rebuilding Baffa House[…] By supporting this campaign you are not only supporting a business you are preserving a historic and cultural icon in the heart of Beirut, and even more you are rebuilding a home for me to house my family,” writes Ghorayeb on the campaign page.

Donations have come in from near and far. Past guests from all over the world have donated to the campaign, including Ontario resident Olivia Damiani and her family. Many have shared the campaign page in the hopes of helping the Ghorayeb family rebuild. Damiani, who stayed at Baffa House for several days in the Fall of 2019 on a family vacation, was so enamoured with her experience there that she had been keeping in contact with Ghorayeb and his family via social media over the months following her return to Canada. They had become friends of sorts and Damiani had felt a strong connection with the Ghorayeb family.

“When I heard about the explosion, I immediately thought of Samer and his family, and tried to reach them on Instagram, which was the main way we had been keeping in contact,” says Damiani. “When I finally heard back from him and heard they were safe, I just asked what I could do to help.” Ghorayeb informed her of the fundraising campaign, and Damiani immediately took to social media. “I posted a long story on Instagram featuring pics of our trip and shared the link to the GoFundMe campaign,” she says. Donations began pouring in.

In the weeks following the explosion, Damiani had been able to FaceTime a few times with Ghorayeb, and laments that for the time being, they have been staying with friends and family in Beirut whose homes were not destroyed in the blast. This will be the case until Baffa House can be rebuilt and the family can regain access to their home and eventually accommodate guests once again. “Samer has been super optimistic, which is mind-blowing given the situation,” says Damiani.

To donate to the Baffa House campaign, visit gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-baffa-house.