REPORTAGE
After the double explosion on Tuesday evening in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, initiatives are being set up to help those affected. In the Lebanese capital, young people are the spearheads of this citizen solidarity movement. Line, a student in a Beirut university, is one of these committed young people.
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The young woman observes with dismay the humanitarian consequences of the disaster. "People can no longer eat. They have no shelter. They have nothing so we try to help as much as we can," she laments. According to a provisional report by the Red Cross, the explosions have left at least 100 dead and thousands injured. The authorities have announced, for their part, up to 300,000 homeless people.
Line and her comrades opened a food stand in the middle of the rubble to provide support to the population. "There are people in college who make hot food and we take them here. There are people who also give us sandwiches. That's the minimum we can do. We can't sit down. on our sofas and do nothing, ”she says.
"The enthusiasm of young people is the hope of this country"
If these young people distribute more than 300 hot meals a day, they are not the only ones to help those most affected by the disaster. In fact, about fifty stands are open in the street. And, in the streets of Beirut, thousands of young Lebanese walk with shovels and brooms in their hands to clear the collapsed buildings and the cars still trapped under the rubble.
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For Eddie, scout leader of 800 volunteers, the average age of participants does not exceed 25 years. "The enthusiasm of young people is the hope of this country," he said, adding to be "certain that young people will be able to rebuild this country". He and his team are responsible for consolidating a school that is falling apart. He says he wants to help for as long as it takes.