Khalil spent three months on the street. This retired English teacher had to abandon his home after being unable to pay his rent. "I ended up on the street. It was cold. And I was afraid of dying on the street. I stayed awake most of the time, I read, I wrote poems just to stay awake. It was a real agony ", explains Khalil to France 24.
Like Khalil, many Lebanese seniors who have worked all their lives find themselves in great precariousness. To cope with this rapid impoverishment of society, initiatives for mutual aid and solidarity are multiplying. The Liban Troc association, for example, allows citizens to create, via social networks, vast chains for the exchange of clothing, food or services. Thanks to the mobilization of internet users, Liban Troc was able to help seven homeless people, including Khalil, to find accommodation.
Citizen solidarity
At 73, Marie also lives in a difficult situation. To support herself, she comes to refuel at Beit el-Baraka, a free supermarket in Beirut. "The situation is worse now. No politician acts responsibly. We do not exist in their eyes. They do not see those who are hungry. How can the landlords still ask for rents when no one is working ? ", she says.
For Maya Ibrahimchah, the director of Beit el-Baraka, priority must be given to helping retirees from the private sector, whose pensions are particularly meager. "If it is a florist or a school teacher in a private school, you will realize that they are reaching an age when they no longer have enough to take care of themselves", explains- she.
Lebanese seniors are now one of the most vulnerable categories in the country. At a time when the economic crisis is swelling, they can only count on the generosity of their fellow citizens, the State being absent subscribers.
Newsletter Don't miss anything from international news
Don't miss anything from international newssubscribe
google-play-badge_FR