Impact Stories

Businessman and philanthropist Rafi Manoukian recently made a critical donation to support the AUB Community Vaccination Drive. “As soon as I heard that AUB would be organizing a community vaccination drive,” he explained, “I knew that I wanted to support this wonderful initiative. My hope is that my donation will encourage others to do the same.” Manoukian’s gift will fully vaccinate 2,500 American University of Beirut (AUB) students and 375 Haigazian University students.

AUB expects to administer 90,000 shots (to vaccinate 45,000 individuals) at the AUB Medical Center during its community vaccination drive. More than 60 percent of this allocation (56,000 shots, to vaccinate 28,000 people) will be used for members of the AUB family (students, faculty, staff, and their dependents); the balance will be used to vaccinate people at other universities, including Haigazian University, and schools – and people living in communities where the need is especially great.

The vaccination campaign, which AUB launched on June 12, 2021, is a hopeful and very welcome development during an exceptionally challenging period, as President Khuri noted in a recent President’s Perspective. “We have been through an incredibly challenging period since AY 2019-20 and the external pressures we faced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have not abated. But at least there is light ahead and the AUB family can look forward to being physically reunited at the start of AY 2021-22.”

The vaccination campaign was organized, under the strong leadership of AUB, by the University Hospitals Consortium (AUBMC, St. Joseph University’s Hôtel-Dieu de France, the St. George Hospital University Medical Center, and the Lebanese American University’s Medical Center-Rizk Hospital) to vaccinate the members of these university communities, and some of those in Lebanon who are most vulnerable, against COVID-19. Consortium members have agreed that all funds that are needed for this nationwide vaccination drive will be secured by the members and from charitable donations. All vaccines will be administered at no cost to the individuals themselves.

This is an extraordinary commitment especially given the devastating economic and financial circumstances in Lebanon and the region that are imposing unprecedented challenges for all consortium members. As President Khuri explained when he announced the vaccination drive, “AUB has a long history of demonstrating leadership in times such as the ones we are currently experiencing, and we are committed to extending that leadership into the foreseeable future.”

“We are deeply grateful to Mr. Rafi Manoukian for his generous and timely support,” said VP for Advancement and Business Development Imad Baalbaki. “The success of this vaccination drive is critical to enabling our university as well as other universities and academic institutions to reopen for in-person classes in the fall – and for the recovery of our country of Lebanon as well.”