Wagga helps Nabiha Koriaty support family, Beirut blast victims

Nabiha Koriaty and her daughter Vickie Koriaty have been working late into the night to make baklava, turkish delight, and dips to sell at Wagga Marketplace.

Mrs Koriaty said she was doing it for the people who had lost everything in the blast, one of whom was a nephew of hers whose house was completely destroyed.

A few months later that nephew lost his 31-year-old son to the coronavirus.

A different nephew was left jobless when the explosion destroyed his workplace, and another one of her cousins was hospitalised due to anxiety.

Four months after the blast and the victims are still suffering from daily blackouts and are living on food parcels to survive.

"They live a very hard life, so god give me strength and energy at age 80 to make money for them," Mrs Koriaty said.

"I thank all Wagga people who help me donate that money to help the others. I really, really appreciate it."

Vickie Koriaty has been staying up late to help with the baking, saying it had been a busy few months keeping up with her mum's pace.

"We stay up at 10pm at night, take it across early in the morning the next day, and when it's all sold we come back and make some more," Ms Koriaty said.

"It's been backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards all day."

Nabiha will be returning to Wagga Marketplace in the leadup to Christmas on December 21, 22, and 23 for one last fundraising effort.

So far they have raised $3000 through sweet sales as well as a Lebanese fundraising dinner at Rabbit Books.