JULIA BOUTROS COLLECTS US$3MILLION FOR THE FAMILIES OF LEBANESE MARTYRS JULY 06 WAR

ANNOUNCES ADDING THE FAMILIES OF LEBANESE ARMY MARTYRS
TO THE AHIBAII FUNDRAISING PROJECT

Julia Boutros held a press conference recently in the Lebanese Press Syndicate to announce the result of the fundraising campaign ‘Ahibaii’. The conference was attended by the National Committee to support the project ‘Ahibaii’ composed of former Prime Minister Dr. Selim Hoss, former deputy and Minister Sheikh Mikhail Daher and Mr. Talal Selman publisher of As Safir newspaper.
Julia Boutros had introduced the fundraising project following the end of the war in July 2006, and after launching the single "Ahibaii" - inspired by the letter of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, written by Ghassan Matar and composed by Ziad Boutros - which she dedicated to the Resistance Champions in the south as well as to all Lebanese martyrs who fell during the Israeli war waged against Lebanon.

“When I announced the launch of the campaign last year, I was hoping to be able to collect US$1million in donations. Today, I proudly announce that the results have exceeded all expectations, as we were able to gather US$3million”, said Boutros during the conference.

“These results prove how compassionate and responsive Lebanese people and the Arab people have been with project and show true appreciation for the sacrifices of the Resistance and the Lebanese civilians who persevered on their land and only bowed their heads for Victory”, continued Boutros.

Julia Boutros also announced during the conference the inclusion of the families of Lebanese Army martyrs to the fundraising project ‘Ahibaii’ - initially created for the Families of Lebanese Martyr July 06 War - asserting that all amounts will be distributed to the families of all civilian, military, and the Lebanese Resistance who fell martyr defending their homeland.

As for the funds that resulted from the campaign ‘Ahibaii’, they stemmed from the sale of the CD, the tickets for the concerts organized by Julia in a number of Arab countries, including Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria, as well as from direct contributions deposited in the bank account opened specifically for the campaign ‘Ahibaii’.

As for the allocation of the donations, a management committee has been appointed and is currently working on granting the funds directly to the families of martyrs. Boutros also announced that - in coordination with the National Committee to support the project ‘Ahibaii’ - an integrated mechanism has been put together for the distribution of these contributions in accordance with the officially approved list, which includes the names of the martyrs of civilians and the military from the Lebanese army and internal security forces and resistance fighters.
Boutros also announced that the distribution of donations is to be completed prior to the date of August 15, 2007, before the one year anniversary of the cessation of violence and the end of the war in July 2006.

On another note, Boutros thanked everyone who contributed and helped in the success of this campaign, whether directly or indirectly, the different organizations, the media and the Lebanese civilians and Arabs and foreigners who represent some 50.000 people. She also thanked the National Committee to support the project "Ahibaii" with all its members and the Syrian people, who organized several charity events for the collection of donations.

Julia also thanked each of the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, as well as Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, noting their support of Lebanon, whether during the war or in the reconstruction stage leading to their immediate and generous contribution to the ‘Ahibaii’ project.