The role of the diaspora in healing Lebanon

The sudden economic and financial collapse, the scarcity of resources, the social unrest exacerbated by a political crisis, all these have left Lebanon facing the abyss of a failed state and the impending disintegration of the country’s social fabric. The currency is in free fall, prices of basic goods are skyrocketing, there are liquidity shortages, in efficient governance, scarcity of jobs, collapsing educational and healthcare systems, failing institutions… and the list goes on. Living conditions have become untenable. More than 50 percent of Lebanese are currently living below the poverty line. The August 4 explosion of the Beirut Port exacerbated the situation to an even more dire level. For many Lebanese this was the last straw, and many families have thrown in the towel as a new wave of emigration has started with hundreds of thousands leaving over the past two months alone. A heartbreaking conclusion for many, and a