TRANSFORMING
LIVES WITH ART
Choose Love, Maison Pan, and The Auction Collective are collaborating to create ART FOR
LEBANON, an art exhibition and auction raising funds to provide critical humanitarian aid to
vulnerable displaced communities in Lebanon. The free exhibition will run from 1st – 17th
February at Maison Pan, Hobhouse Court, Whitcombe St, London WC2H 7HA.
All funds raised from ART FOR LEBANON will go to our Lebanon-based partners providing
essential and effective aid on the ground, including urgent medical care, hot meals, shelter,
education and mental health support.
ART AUCTION
WHY LEBANON?
Since September 2024, there has been a huge increase in the urgent need for humanitarian aid. Our partners on the ground are telling us that children and families are experiencing high levels of trauma, and 20% of the entire population of Lebanon has been displaced as a result of the escalating violence.
Lebanon is also facing a significant socio-economic crisis which has a profound effect on the basic rights and living conditions of all people living in Lebanon, with up to 90% of the population live in poverty.
PARTNERS
Arcenciel
arcenciel is a non-profit organisation based in Lebanon. It was created in 1985 during the Lebanese Civil War. Its mission is to “engage in the sustainable development of society by supporting fragile groups and integrating marginalised people.” arcenciel is non-denominational and nonpolitical, working with and for anyone in difficulty.
arcenciel’s activities are socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable, achieved through three main axes: (1) Social: care of persons in need, (2) Environmental: preservation of natural resources and (3) Economical: cost-efficiency and financial autonomy.
Follow @arcenciel.aec
Beit El Baraka
Beit El Baraka is a Lebanese-based organisation that ensures the dignity of hardworking Lebanese citizens by assisting them in their struggle with the increasing cost of living. In a spirit of respect and support, they give them access to food, decent livelihood, medical services and education. They envision a Lebanon where families can live a secure, valued and respectable life with access to social security, education and retirement pensions for all.
CodeBrave
CodeBrave’s mission is to equip young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Lebanon with the tech and cognitive skills to lift themselves out of poverty. Since 2019, CodeBrave has worked locally to provide innovative coding, robotics, and AI classes to children aged 11-18 in disadvantaged communities across Lebanon.
CodeBrave’s vision is to introduce Coding & AI education as a standard for all children in Lebanon starting at 10 years old. It believes this would be transformative for Lebanon, boosting the economy and providing opportunities for young people.
Follow @codebrave
Damma Women’s Association
Damma is a refugee-led organisation that provides integrated support to communities, focusing on women and children. The association was founded in 2012 as an initiative led by female activists to influence decision-making processes, particularly peace negotiations.
Operating in Lebanon since 2016, Damma has been supporting women and children, particularly those who lost their loved ones, have become breadwinners and face numerous challenges rebuilding their lives as refugees in Lebanon. They provide education and mental health services to vulnerable children and women and help women find sustainable livelihood initiatives so that they can become economically independent.
Follow @dammahug
Embrace
Embrace is a Lebanese non-profit organisation founded in 2013 that emerged as a response to the stigma surrounding mental health in Lebanon. Initially affiliated with the Psychiatry Department of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Embrace became an independent NGO in 2017. Since its inception, Embrace has been pivotal in destigmatising mental illness, providing equitable access to mental health services, and advocating for mental health as a basic human right.
Embrace’s mission is to ensure that mental health and access to care are positioned as a basic human right for all through awareness, advocacy, and dignified mental health services. Its vision is a Lebanon where all individuals have access to mental health care without social, personal, or structural barriers
Follow @embrace_lebanon
Women Now for Development
WND is a feminist women and refugee-led organisation with a mission to initiate women-led programmes that protect women and girls across socio-economic backgrounds and empower them to find their political voice, and participate in building new, peaceful communities that respect and safeguard equal rights for all its individuals.
WND is a registered charitable association in Lebanon. It has been working in Lebanon since 2014, implementing programmes in two Women and Girls Safe Spaces in Bekaa, to respond to the vulnerable situation and high needs of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Follow @women_now.lebanon
SUPPORTERS
CHOOSE LOVE
We are working towards a world that chooses love and justice every day, for everyone. We identify, close and prevent gaps in services for refugees and displaced people. We get funds to where they are needed most, when they’re needed most. We have mobilized over £110 million, supporting 540+ community-based organizations in 49 countries over the last nine years. Our work has directly supported 6.6 million people and reached and impacted upwards of 10 million people. We’ve been working in Lebanon since 2016, and have granted over £4.4 million to 27 partners, funding both long term and emergency work.
THE AUCTION COLLECTIVE
The Auction Collection was founded by Tom Best, a former Christie’s auctioneer and Contemporary Art Specialist. He has worked in 12 countries, and raised over £25 million for charity in more than 400 auctions. They will host the live auction on their platform www.theauctioncollective.com
MAISON PAN
Maison Pan is an artist residency in Beirut and an independent, not-forprofit art space in London, founded in 2023 by French-Lebanese artist Marie Obegi. Since its inception, the project has supported artists across London and Beirut through residencies and over 12 exhibitions. for more information visit
ART FOR LEBANON was made possible through the dedication and support of many committed collaborators. We extend our deepest gratitude to:
The Choose Love team
Hortense Decaux
Isabel Bardawil
Loana Benjamin
Ines Fallaha
Sandra Nuoramo Ward
Marie Obegi
Tom Best
Cedric Bardawil
Sandra de Giorgi
Elie Khourie
A special thank you to Imad’s Syrian Kitchen for the delicious food, and to Smiley for their generous donation of wine for the evening of the live bid.