GREENSBORO, N.C. — On the afternoon of August, 4 a fire erupted on the roof of a warehouse on the port of Beirut. Shortly after the fire started there was a large explosion followed by a series of smaller blasts. While people living and working in the area were trying to figure out what was going on a colossal explosion sent a supersonic blast wave several miles through the city.
In just seconds, hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured. Buildings were destroyed and massive ships that were sitting in the water were decimated.
“I just started thinking about the people living in the apartments and the people that worked nearby,” Kublai Khan said.
The 15-year-old started watching news reports from the explosion on television. He then spent several hours looking for more information and details online. As Khan continued to watch videos that were posted he started to feel a sense of sadness.
“I just kept thinking, oh, God how many people are affected by this explosion,'” Khan said.
That sadness would eventually turn into a sense of determination. The Greensboro Day School sophomore decided he needed to help.
“I thought to myself, I have a moral duty to do something to help these people,” Khan said.
Within a few days, Khan decided to start a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help those affected by the explosion. All the money raised will go to UNICEF.
“I thought I can’t go directly to (Beirut) to help these people so I should raise money for people who are,” Khan said.
Not exactly sure how to go about something like this he simply figured it out on his own. He set up the GoFundMe fundraising page and linked the donations directly to UNICEF. Once it was all done and ready to launch, he told his parents.
“I was very proud of him, very proud of him thinking beyond himself so far away,” Nyla Khan said.
His mother jokes it’s not unusual for a 15-year-old to keep secrets but usually, it’s not like this. She said her son mainly told them about his GoFundMe fundraiser to make sure he wasn’t breaking in tax codes or something.
“I’m not surprised that he would be driven to do something like this, I was surprised he created everything by himself,” Nyla Khan said.
The initial goal was to raise $5,000 but as the money started to pour in, he quickly raised it to $5,750.
“I just hope I can raise enough money to help those who really need it,” Khan said.
If you would like to help you can go the GoFundMe page Khan has set up.