Dear friends, 

In these times of hardship, life has been especially challenging this past year for the people of my country, Lebanon. As you might all know by now, life has irreversibly changed overnight on August 4th, 2020. The deadly explosion of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate in the port of Beirut killed at least 200 people, made another 300,000 homeless, and left a vast landscape of desolation, trauma, and destruction. This has been the last devastating blow at a country already on the brink of collapse, that has been suffering from extremely critical political and economical situations for years. 
 
Each one of us can enact to rebuild the aftermath, with whatever modest means they have. I am setting up a pop-up store on my website for a very limited time. From August 14th, 2020 to September 15th, 2020, you will be able to purchase the album I have released with my quintet, "Inner Rhyme", for the minimum amount of $15. 
 
100% of the sales will be going to relief efforts, and will be divided 50%-50% between two organizations: Children's Cancer Center in Lebanon (https://cccl.org.lb/), and Beit el Baraka (https://www.beitelbaraka.org/): 
 

- Children's Cancer Center is the only hospital in Lebanon and the region dedicated to the treatment of children with cancer, where they are treated at no cost at all on their families. The CCCL has treated, to date, over 1,650 children with cancer. The explosion has left the hospital and center very severely damaged. https://cccl.org.lb/ 
 

- Beit el Baraka : Beit el Baraka is an organization that has been working tirelessly for the past few years on several fronts to provide housing, nutrition, medical support, sustainable agricultural initiatives and different community engagement activities to respond to the multi-dimensional challenges faced by deprived communities. https://www.beitelbaraka.org/ 
 

I always thought of "Inner Rhyme" as a true labor of love. It is now time for it to pay it forward. I look forward to this direct interaction, to folding your packages and sending out my music in the world to find you, and to transmitting the outcome back to Lebanon. If so you choose, you will be updated with your donation every step of the way. 

Peace always, 
Layale