Lebanese people making the dangerous journey from Lebanon across the Mediterranean in pursuit of safety and a better life should not come as a surprise to the governments and people of the West.
The world has turned a blind eye to a country which is in a harrowing situation and amidst a dangerous crisis.
Two weeks ago, 84 people tried to make the dangerous journey towards Italy in a sailboat. They ended up in distress outside Rhodes.
The group was rescued by the Greek coastguard, which then set them adrift on four life rafts on the Greek-Turkish border. We at Aegean Boat Report reported that eleven people died, seven of them small children, when the life raft they had been placed in deflated in the middle of the sea. Their deaths were the direct result of a pushback performed by the Greek authorities.
Our strategic partner Salam Norway, which provides financial assistance to their parent organisation Salam LADC (the Lebanese Association for Communication and Development) works in the region, and provides us with in-depth knowledge about the realities faced by the Lebanese population.
People are forced to choose between feeding themselves or their children on a daily basis, because food prices have increased by 332 per cent, the world’s worst food inflation in the first half of 2022.
Nor can Lebanese people afford transport to work or school.
Children are dropping out of school. Education, a fundamental human right, cannot be accessed by children and young people because the price of gasoline has increased by 1,727 per cent, and the price of diesel by 2,900 per cent.
Salam LADC, works in Kawkaba, Beirut, and Central Bekaa, which is home to its largest operation, to help people affected by this economic catastrophe.
The non-religious organisation runs 22 projects, of which 13 are held at its Community Centre, which hosts 79 classes per week with 599 registered beneficiaries of Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian nationalities. Salam LADC does not discriminate on race, gender, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation.
Salam LADC’s work is invaluable in Lebanon’s time of crisis, but funding is drying up, and the world’s eye is elsewhere. Salam Norway and Salam LADC support vulnerable communities before they ever reach the Aegean, to help ensure they never need to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.
They empower people through sustainable projects, and provide long-term solutions. This can only continue with your support.
For more information: Website: www.salamnorway.no Instagram: salamnorway Facebook: facebook.com/salamladcnorway