Starting in a southern Lebanese village called Deir Mimas, From The Villages is an initiative launched by young graduates who found themselves confined in their village due to the pandemic.
While in confinement, they realized that their village, like all across Lebanon, has treasures that can help many overcome the current difficult economic situation.
Tapping into these treasures, as they deemed it, would support local farmers and artisans. It became their passionate aim.
Hence, From The Villages was born from a team effort of a small group of friends.
Since some of them have specialized in engineering, business, and computer science, they decided to allocate their knowledge and experience to realize their aim.
Residents of Deir Mimas, this traditional Lebanese village, are known to “craft the most genuine authentic and old-style products,” the group said. Such products include olives, olive oil, fresh eggs, labneh, laban, keshek, zaatar, and much more.
“Our farmers and artisans still produce them with passion and love. However, they don’t get the chance to sell their products widely enough across Lebanon,” said a spokesperson for the group.
This group of young Lebanese is now giving them that chance. They have set up a website, From The Villages, for that purpose, selling their crafts for them and only in Lebanese Lira to also support the local currency.
Deir Mimas is not the only southern village they have included in their supporting efforts. They are also helping with the local products of Marjeyoun and Kfar Kila.
This includes the handcrafted products of 15 artisans and farmers: Dana, Fadila, Fahime, Fidaa, Ghattas, Hanna, Helwe, Jouhaina, Leila, Mona, Nassima, Safaa, Therese, Tania, and Wafaa.
And they don’t want to stop at these three villages. They are planning to expand to others as well and help as many as they can.
“The challenge is big but the humanitarian reward is even bigger,” they said, happy to have given hope to the villagers during these trying times. “We are very excited that people in the villages saw a glimpse of hope through what we are trying to do.”
According to what we see on their website From The Villages, they’ve been doing quite a lot to help.
Today, more than ever, Lebanon is in need of increasing and supporting its local production. Some municipalities in Lebanon are encouraging their residents to work the land and tap into our natural resources to survive.
In Barouk, a farming project has recently materialized with many young graduates involved.
Even more recently, Nadine Labaki along with many influential Lebanese people began promoting the agricultural movement through the “Zarri3et Albi” campaign.