With 785 establishments closing down and tens of thousands of Lebanese losing their jobs in the span of five months, the living conditions in Lebanon are getting harder and harder by the day on families in poverty and families that were once considered to be middle-classed.
The new government holds a lot of expectations with little glimpses of hope that Lebanon will be able to rise any time soon. The nation is holding on the government’s promise, whether politicians like it or not.
The Lebanese people are now more than ever impatiently waiting for a way out of their painful financial and economic misery. They are rightfully pressuring the ones in power to cease the unjust taxes on the ones that should not pay any.
Unemployment just hit 40% in Lebanon and 2 million citizens are expected to live below the poverty line this year.
Minister of Tourism and Social Affairs Ramzi Mousharafieyeh wrote in a tweet on Wednesday, February 19th: “15 thousand Lebanese families will be able to get financial support after we signed on a donation granted by UNICEF to support families in extreme poverty.”
“Basic assistance is given through payments to the eligible family who will hold a food card via the national cash assistance program to support families in extreme poverty, which will benefit about 40,000 Lebanese children,” his tweet concluded.
According to its official website, UNICEF is targeting the poorest Lebanese households to receive a cash grant of between 160,000 LBP and 640,000 LBP. The grant is provided according to the number of children in the household, from zero up to six.
The cash assistance program is aimed to support more than 40,000 Lebanese children at risk due to the ongoing harsh economic conditions.
UNICEF will be achieving this endeavor by working with the National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP), the Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA), the Prime Minister’s Office, and the World Food Programme (WFP).
“Children are now most vulnerable in the midst of the current economic crisis in Lebanon,” UNICEF Representative to Lebanon Yukio Mokuo explained, “As prices rise and people lose their jobs, everyone is affected, particularly in the poorest communities.”
“While we continue to support the government to develop a National Social Protection Policy, we also wanted to act fast and provide immediate support, as far as our resources would allow, to some of the poorest households in the country,” she added.
The UNICEF website also added in their statement that “the families are being informed of the cash assistance program through the available communication channels, including mobile phone messages, the NPTP call center, and engagements at Social Development Centres across the country.”