As Lebanon crisis spirals, families barter for food on Facebook

Record ID: 1561893

  • Title: As Lebanon crisis spirals, families barter for food on Facebook
  • Date: 7th July 2020
  • Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (JULY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CREATOR OF 'LEBANON BARTERS' FACEBOOK GROUP, HASSAN HASNA, SAYING: "We got to a point where the resources that we used to get (for donation) became too little, I felt like "what can I do?" Do we stop helping people who are really in need? We suggested that people who have (things) can post what they have and barter."
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2020 13:36
  • Keywords: Facebook Lebanon bartering crisis economy society
  • Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON AND INTERNET
  • City: BEIRUT, LEBANON AND INTERNET
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA003CLT9GEF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: One Lebanese woman asked for sugar, milk and soap in exchange for a child's dress. Another wanted canned goods in return for gym equipment.
    A 65-year-old seamstress now exchanges her sewing services for food, because her clients can no longer afford to pay her.
    Bartering on Facebook has become the last resort for some people in Lebanon, where a financial meltdown has sent prices skyrocketing this year.
    "It's a good thing for people who are in need and unable to buy...You can't keep asking for help," said Siham, a 27-year-old mother who was offering a machine that cleans her son's nursing bottles in exchange for food.
    More and more Lebanese have had to turn to charities or private initiatives to survive as the country faces a crisis on an unprecedented scale.
    The collapse of the currency, which wiped out nearly 80% of its value, has pushed many families into poverty and the heavily indebted state offers little help.
    Hassan Hasna's Facebook group "Lebanon barters" has gained more than 16,000 members in about a month, with people relying on it to secure food or medicine they can no longer afford.
    Lebanon depends heavily on imported goods for which prices have soared. The government has also hiked the price of subsidised bread, sparking protests this month.
    A World Food Programme report in June found that 50% of Lebanese feared they would not have enough to eat.
    Hasna gets over 200 requests a day.
    (Production: Alaa Kanaan, Yara Abi Nader, Dala Osseiran)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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