VIDEO: Mohamad Fakih gives a live update of the aftermath of the Beirut explosion

A well-known entrepreneur who hails from Mississauga has partnered with a Toronto-area humanitarian worker in Beirut to document relief efforts on the ground.

The Lebanese city of Beirut was devastated by an Aug. 4 explosion that killed over 170 people and injured thousands more.  

Mohamed Fakih, a Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded Paramount Fine Foods, a successful chain of Middle Eastern restaurants, is in Beirut with videographer Ali Gilani to assess and document relief efforts by the Humanitarian Coalition and its local partners.

According to an Islamic Relief Canada news release, the Humanitarian Coalition is a group of Canadian charities who pool resources and streamline efforts to respond more effectively to humanitarian crises anywhere in the world.

Until Aug. 24, the Canadian government is matching all donations made to the Humanitarian Coalition for relief efforts in Lebanon. The federal government has pledged to match donations up to $5 million.

Fakih, who has become well-known for his humanitarian work, has made headlines for pledging to help a Syrian family reopen their restaurant after they closed it due to reported death threats, raising funds for the Mississauga Food Bank amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and raising funds for the families of Iran plane crash victims.

Mohamad, helping with the World Central Kitchen that are producing 10,000 meals a day to help feed Beirut.

In 2017, Fakih announced that Paramount was going to pay for the funerals of six Muslim men who were gunned down in Quebec City’s Sainte-Foy neighbourhood. Fakih also pledged to donate money to help cover the cost of repairs to the mosque. 

Khaled Iwamura from insauga.com and Quickbite News did an Instagram Live interview with Mohamad live from Beirut:

Mohamad Fakih, LIVE from Beirut – August 20, 2020 from insauga on Vimeo.