Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Saturday, May 24, 2025
    961
    Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok
    • Breaking News
    • Guides
    • Food & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Join the Team
    • Whatsapp
      • 961
      • 961 News
    • AUB Outdoors ☀️
    Advertise with Us Get the App
    961
    Home»News»Lebanon News
    Bel Trew
    2 Mins Read

    Lebanon’s Social Affairs Ministry Fights Poverty With A Flawed Strategy

    By Rim ZreinJanuary 28, 2021Updated:January 28, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    The Social Affairs Ministry launched an online platform on Monday that gives the lowest-income families the option to apply for assistance, noting that “development services centers are currently unable to receive Lebanese citizens” due to the total lockdown measures.

    The ministry, which supposedly has knowledge on the conditions of lowest-income families, completely ignored the fact that these families in particular do not have the means to afford Internet access to be able to register.

    The website, which has also issues loading, is just another unobtainable tool to fight poverty in a country where the poverty line has reached 50% of its population, according to the United Nations.

    Police in Lebanon fired rubber bullets at people protesting strict lockdowns, wounding 45.

    The economic crisis has put 50% of people in poverty. Most cannot leave home, and groceries are delivery-only, which poorer areas cannot access:@Gidi_Traffic pic.twitter.com/PZkjTI5cx2

    — Gidi ❤️ | $SOMO (@gidi_9ja) January 27, 2021

    Authorities say they have started disbursing monthly payments of 400,000 Lebanese pounds (about $50 at the market rate) to some 230,000 families.

    Yet, caretaker Minister for Social Affairs Ramzi Musharrafieh himself acknowledged on Tuesday that three-quarters of the population need financial assistance.

    Hence, the money being distributed as financial aid to impoverished families in Lebanon is just not enough.

    A man asking for financial aid to help his family in Beirut, Lebanon. Photo by: Ramzi Hajj.

    The Interior Ministry recently applied a similar flawed system to its curfew permits platform, which allows those excluded from the exemptions specified by the Higher Defense Council, to go out during the extended total lockdown.

    However, this strategy automatically prevents anyone who does not have technological knowledge or internet access from leaving their home.

    PSA: From tomorrow, if you want to leave your house, the Lebanese government is asking you to request an exemption via this website: https://t.co/66al1NUKdZ

    It applies whether you are exempt from the curfew or not. Raises questions about internet access/computer literacy 🧐

    — Emily Lewis (@EmCLew) January 13, 2021

    To make matters worse, some people have shared that they have submitted random silly reasons through the exemption website, and their requests got accepted.

    Lebanon, a country of more than six million, is going through the toughest economic crisis that precedes the pandemic and restrictions imposed to combat it.

    Electronic food vouchers & cash transfers have been a lifeline in Lebanon since the blast rocked a population already struggling with a pandemic & economic crisis. Cardholders get about $27 a month to buy food and necessities at @WFP supported shops like Albalad Supermarket. pic.twitter.com/gMX0vvlRt0

    — U.S. Ambassador to UN Agencies in Rome (@USUNRomeAmb) October 7, 2020

    Yet, with multiple flawed strategies imposed by the Lebanese government, the population’s trust in those holding great power over the country has completely vanished.

    It didn’t need much of a brain to know that locking down people for weeks without assistance for their basic needs was prone to cause a revolt as they are now more terrorized by the looming hunger than the lethal covid-19 raging through the country.

    A reality Lebanon is witnessed these days in the streets of Tripoli.

    Coronavirus (COVID-19) Economic Crisis Lebanese Revolution (Thawra) Lebanon United Nations
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    uae travel ban lebanon 961

    UAE Is Officially Removing The Travel Ban On Lebanon

    Lebanese talking-stage

    15 Things Your Lebanese Talking-Stage Will Tell You, And What It Actually Means

    Joe Issa El-Khoury 961

    Who is Joe Issa El-Khoury, Lebanon’s New Minister of Industry

    Adel Nassar 961

    Who is Adel Nassar, Lebanon’s New Minister of Justice

    Nizar Hani 961

    Who is Nizar Hani, Lebanon’s New Minister of Agriculture

    Charles Hajj 961

    Who Is Charles Hajj, Lebanon’s New Minister of Telecommunications

    Ampere Cinema Reopens Its Doors In North Lebanon After 28 Years Of Absence

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019
    saint levant aub outdoors 2025 961

    Saint Levant Is Officially Headlining AUB Outdoors 2025!

    May 7, 2025
    aub outdoors 2025

    Here’s Everything You Need To Know About AUB Outdoors This Weekend

    May 21, 2025

    Lebanon’s Shawarma Is Going Viral in The Philippines

    April 21, 2019
    Tamara El-Zein 961

    Who is Tamara El-Zein, Lebanon’s New Minister of Environment

    February 11, 2025

    10 Free Beaches In Lebanon To Visit This Summer

    April 23, 2024
    dew apparel nada koussa miss lebanon 961

    Miss Lebanon Nada Koussa Just Launched A Sportswear Brand

    May 3, 2025

    10+ Day Trips You Can Take In Lebanon That Are 30 Mins, 1 hour, And 2 Hours Away From Beirut!

    June 12, 2017

    20 Typical Lebanese Slang Expressions

    April 21, 2020
    961 Logo
    Facebook WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    Popular Topics

    • Guides
    • Eat & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Lebanon News
    • Diaspora
    • Explained

    961

    • About
    • WhatsApp Channel
    • News WhatsApp Channel
    • Corrections Policy
    • Ownership & Funding

    Services

    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • App Waitlist
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
    961™ | All Rights Reserved ©2025
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Okay