Lebanon (MNN) — Lebanon starts the week at a new low. The currency hit rock bottom last week; it’s now lost 90-percent of its value since protests began in 2019. Federal reserves are dwindling; there’s barely enough to keep the lights on.
“The energy minister, on public TV, he said, ‘Imagine your life without electricity, without internet. That’s about to happen unless we get a bailout from the Parliament’,” Pierre Houssney of Horizons International says.
“It’s becoming more and more clear, as the months go on, just how very, very bad things are getting.”
Experts say the financial and economic crisis poses the biggest threat to Lebanon’s stability since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990. International donors stand ready to help, but aid hinges upon Lebanese politicians forming a functional government.
Horizons International staff delivering food. (Photo courtesy of Horizons International on Facebook)
Members of the caretaker government keep arguing over who’s to blame and what to do next. With no end in sight, protestors are back in the streets demanding resolution.
“They have nowhere to turn; the government [officials] have been satisfied to hole themselves up in their mansions [and] surround themselves with the military so protesters can’t get to them,” Houssney says.
“It’s starting to get violent on the streets; people have started shutting down roads again in protest. Something’s got to give.”
The good news? You can help. Learn more here. “Your donations will go a long way right now in Lebanon,” Houssney says.
“We’re providing humanitarian aid through about 70 churches. And not just practical care, but also the message of the Gospel.”
Header image depicts Beirut protests in 2019. (Wikimedia Commons)
