A MEMBER of a Bradford aid team, who flew out to Beirut nearly a week ago to support those affected by the devastating explosion, has spoken of her "eye-opening" experience after landing back on home soil today.

Ridwana Wallace-Laher, Head of Fundraising at Penny Appeal, travelled to Lebanon's capital city on Monday night - along with members of the charity's disaster response team - to provide emergency food and medical parcels to the many victims of what has been described as one of the most powerful non-nuclear blasts in history.

Ridwana raised £25,000 for the victims of the explosion, which happened at the Port of Beirut on 4 August and left 177 people dead - according to the latest United Nations estimate - as well as leaving around 6,000 injured and 300,000 homeless.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said it was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which he said was being stored unsafely at a warehouse.

Ridwana, a former teacher at Grange Technology College, arrived back in the UK this afternoon and returned to her Odsal Top home, re-uniting with her husband and two daughters.

Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus today, she described the situation in Beirut as "distressing" and "horrific", while also explaining the work that has - and still is - being carried out by the Penny Appeal team.

"It was a very eye-opening experience. I saw quite a lot while I was out there - a lot of people have been displaced and injured, and some people don't know where their next meal is coming from", Ridwana said.

"As you're driving around, you're surrounded by buildings that have been torn apart, and there are people just sort of walking around, trying to keep a hold of their belongings.

"If you can imagine that picture, of windows just hanging off of buildings and rubble absolutely everywhere - it's a sad state of affairs and was very distressing to see.

"But it was very interesting to see the processes we go through as a charity. As the Head of Fundraising, I've never been as closely involved with that before. 

"It's not just a case of going out there, turning up and hoping for the best - there's a lot of planning, as we want to be able to support the people of Beirut on a long-term basis.

"Working with our partners, we looked at the devastation and how it is affecting people, and we were then able to put a plan together to respond to that accordingly."

Ridwana and the rest of the Penny Appeal team handed out hot meals to people, as well as emergency medical supplies - which have both been scarce following the explosion, she said.

"A lot of families have lost their homes - which means they don't have kitchens, so they can't cook. We gave out hot food to families, so they didn't have to worry about that sort of stuff", said Ridwana.

"For families who do have access to a home, whether it's with family or friends, we provided them with food packs containing things like pasta, tomato sauce, salt, oil and those kind of things.

"Another phase of our work involved re-homing families into temporary accommodation, where, working with our partners, they will be supported with food and key essentials.

"Simultaneously, we will refurbish their own homes for them, so they can move back in within a few months or so.

"There are a lot of families in Beirut right now who are reliant on medication, especially elderly people. So, with our partners, we walked around and spoke to people and asked what medicine they needed.

"We then went back to the hospitals who we were in contact with and got the medication, to support these people straight away.

"We visited a pharmacy in the hospital and their stock was very, very low. They were concerned because if something else happened like this, there is little medicine available, but they are also still treating COVID patients, too. So one of our jobs was to provide medical aid to hospitals to help them replenish their stock.

"We also have another project, where there will be a bus going around Beirut offering psycho-social support. It's okay helping with the practical day-to-day stuff like food and medicine, which is very important, but there are also long-term effects on people's mental health because of what has happened. 

"This bus will go from area to area, and I witnessed it a couple of days ago. It's an absolutely brilliant project. I saw it get parked up on a street and they brought out tables and chairs, giving people an opportunity to sit and talk and take their mind off of things.

"Inside the bus were fully trained psychologists and social workers, just talking to people and offering advice and space to discuss any issues they may have.

"There was also a chef outside making homemade chips, with a bit of salt and ketchup, handing them out to people for free!"

Ridwana also had the opportunity to hear some first-hand accounts of the horrors that happened on 4 August.

"I was talking to one elderly lady who needed medicine and she said she was a piano teacher and had one of those really big, old pianos in her house", she explained.

"But the explosion left the piano in tatters. That was her life and soul, so she was devastated. She said she didn’t want to leave her home - she lived there for sixty years and she said she wanted to die there.

"A lot of people affected are quite well-off and have a lot of money in the bank, but the banks are not releasing money, making things difficult, too.

"Some of the stories are really upsetting. Some families have nowhere to go and have to stay in unsafe homes, surrounded by bloody walls and rubble.

"We visited one of the hospitals that deployed their ambulances on the night of the blast, and we met one of the ambulance drivers from that night. He said it was absolutely shocking and it was carnage, with people running around with blood everywhere. He said people had lost limbs, it was chaotic.

"But they did really well as a hospital to treat and help all those people."

Ridwana set up a JustGiving page before setting off to Beirut, to raise more money for the victims of the explosion.

It has raised £25,000, which she is incredibly grateful for.

"I want to thank everyone for supporting. We raised £25,000 in five or six days, which is phenomenal", she said

"Some of my ex-school pupils from Grange sent me messages of support and donated, which really helped me when I was out there.

"It was heart-warming to see the younger generation and the next generation see the importance of things like this."

Ridwana also said that, although she has now returned to Bradford, Penny Appeal's work in Beirut is far from over.

"My trip has made me determined to carry on the good work", she said.

"Our disaster response team is still out there working - it's not the case that our team come back to the UK and then it all stops, we will continue to monitor the situation with our partners and maintain our commitment in the long-term."