Voices from the field- Stefano Baldini a cooperator in Lebanon
As of October 2023, tensions along the Lebanese border with Israel have sparked open conflict with devastating consequences for the population. Israeli shelling has caused 589 deaths and 2,000 injuries, destroyed more than 4,000 civilian homes and seriously damaged 20,000 others. More than 1 million people have been forced to leave their homes and businesses, seeking refuge in areas of Lebanon deemed safer, as reported by the United Nations and Lebanese authorities. People in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley are living in terror of the attacks and economic hardship due to the closure of productive activities.
The Foundation, which has been working in southern Lebanon since 2016 with a project funded by AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation), supports families of small farmers and agricultural workers, aiming to strengthen citrus and tropical fruit crops to promote the local economy in the most marginal rural areas. However, as of February 2024, working conditions in the area have drastically deteriorated due to continuous bombing.
In particular, the agricultural producers' cooperative in Tyre, a beneficiary of the project, requested the suspension of activities to prevent meetings and trainings from being interpreted by Israeli forces as possible aggregations with purposes other than those stated, risking dramatic consequences. In addition, many farmers had to stop their activities in the fields because of the shelling. Our office has also been closed and, for security reasons, our staff has been relocated, forcing us to suspend all planned project activities in the hottest area of the conflict.
Against this background of great hardship, the suspension of activities is a devastating blow to families who were relying on the project to improve their living conditions. Children are also severely affected by the conflict: in the 4 schools we support through the same project, many of them are at risk of no longer being able to attend school. We as a Foundation will continue to monitor the situation closely, striving to find solutions that will allow us to resume our support to the communities as soon as conditions make it possible.
Stephen Baldini
Project manager in Lebanon