SECOURS POULAIRE FRANCAIS CALLS UP FOR DONATION TO KEEP HELPING THE LEBANESE

USPA NEWS - The Secours Populaire Français (SPF) organized an online press conference, Thursday April 8 at 10 a.m. (French time), in the presence of Lebanese families helped by its local partner, the Association for the Development of Man and the Environment ( DPNA). It is Malika Tatbi, Director of Public Relations, of the SPF, who animates this press conference with the presence of, Henriette Steinberg, Secretary General of Secours populaire Francais (SPF), as well as of the SPF, as well as Corinne Makowski, Secretary National of the SPF, from the SPF Headquarters in Paris, France. On the side of Lebanon, Ismaïl Hassouneh - National Secretary and doctor of Secours populaire, and Hiba Antoun - Head of DPNA projects, were present, as well as some women beneficiaries of the Franco-Lebanese SPF-DPNA program, and some journalists, connected , by video conference. The situation facing the population in Lebanon is very serious. When parents can no longer feed their children, they are capable of the worst. Lebanon has just joined the twenty countries in "catastrophic level of famine, according to UN agencies. SPF has released an initial emergency fund of € 130,000 to buy basic food products in situ

ACCORDING TO UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES LEBANON IS LISTED IN THE 20 « CATASTROPHIC LEVEL OF FAMIN"-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The situation facing the population in Lebanon is very serious. When parents can no longer feed their children, they are capable of the worst. Lebanon has just joined the twenty countries in "catastrophic level of famine", according to United Nations agencies.The Secours populaire has been relaying for several weeks the cry of alarm from its Lebanese partners who call for international humanitarian aid. The SPF has released an initial emergency fund of € 130,000 to buy basic food products on site, which are currently being distributed. https://www.secourspopulaire.fr/liban-une-aide-alimentaire-d-urgence-pour-nourrir-l-espoir SPF CALLS FOR FINANCIAL DONATIONS TO HELP LEBANESE PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING OVER HUNGER The SPF calls for financial donations to help the Lebanese people, the situation is dramatic: www.secourspopulaire.fr---------- While Lebanon is bogged down in the crisis and on March 23 joined the twenty countries in "catastrophic level of famine" according to the report published by the United Nations, the Secours populaire continues its solidarity, thanks to popular generosity, and sent a second emergency fund of 100,000 € to its Lebanese partner the Association for the Development of Man and the Environment (DPNA) to meet food needs.In France, a massive popular mobilization continues on the ground. The Secours Populaire Francais (SPF) will offer each donor a bag of two seeds of Lebanese cedars to plant, using the symbol of Lebanon, the cedar, for a minimum donation of € 2, Thanks to the first fund of 130,000 € transmitted on March 18 by the Secours populaire to its partner DPNA, 900 Lebanese families have already started to receive the first food parcels at the beginning of April, in support for a month. 100 € can support a family of 5 people for a month.

ARTISTS ARE MOBILIZED LIKE IBRAHIM MAALOUF TO SUPPORT LEBANON-------------------------------------------- More than 150,000 families, in the regions of Tripoli, Beyrut and Saida, need help. We will support them with local products, fresh products. With 100 €, we can feed a family for 1 month. Ibrahim Maalouf, strongly relayed our appeals and expressed our support, because the SPF offers seeds of 2 € of cedars to be planted, on the occasion of the demonstrations on May 1. The youngest, like "friends of the world", also express their support, and those from other countries including France who make take-out meals for Lebanon. Explains Corinne, during the videoconference organized by the elle completes the figure of disasters, which inflate the figures of vulnerable people, because 1.4 million Syrian refugees victims of poverty and in precariousness since the recent catastrophe of the explosion. But Lebanon is a small country with a big heart, “explains Corinne, recalling this quote from Guy Béart, about Lebanon which also knows how to give and receive generously towards refugees. Hiba Antun, Director of the DBPNA Association, explains: "It is good to be able to help a family to keep its dignity know that the families of Lebanon receive expressions of our solidarity and are grateful. she adds that "55% of Lebanese regardless of their level of education currently live below the poverty line. And then, the explosion of the port created another crisis, social and economic due to the devaluation of our currency, by 45%, the Lebanese pound against the Euro (€) and the Dollar ($). There is an urgent need to restore social security and peace. "

400 HOUSES WERE BUILT THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF SPF AND THE IDF REGION------------------------------------ Hiba, Antun, thanked France and the support in particular of the Association Secours Populaire Francais (SPF), chaired by Henriette Steinberg and the IDF region (Ile de France) chaired by Valerie Pecresse, having allowed the construction of four hundred (400 ) housing for claimants. For example, the repair and development of housing was also possible thanks to this Franco-Lebanese support in the name of international solidarity.-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hiba Antun also recalls that there is a lack of food and that thanks to the support of the moment partners, Secours Populaire Francais (SPF), and the IDF Region, vulnerable people were able to be fed: “Thousands of food packages containing rice, chickpeas, flour, cheese, and jam, are basic products, necessary for the survival of the affected families your been distributed by the help of the three hundred (300) volunteers, since the explosion (Au Port from Beirut) "

"LEBANON NEEDS YOU" LAUNCHES A CALL FROM THE HEART OF A BENEFICIARY OF THIS SOLIDARITY AID-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We will continue to work and resist because we only have music and culture to resist and thank you from the heart for your action at Secours Populaire Francais (SPF). Exclaimed a recipient of SPF's assistance to the poor.Another woman beneficiary of the same SPF support program confided: "I thank you all at the SPF and thank you to President Macron, I love France and Paris. We often pray for you here. »Sincerely thanks a beneficiary, named Malika, present at the video conference, from Lebanon, via interposed screens.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE SPF LIGHTS THE WEIGHT OF THE SOCIAL CRISIS DOUBLE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC IN LEBANON---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Doctor Ismael Hassouneh, Doctor and National Secretary of Secours Populaire Francais (SPF) in Lebanon, describes the difficulties on the ground in Lebanon, facing restrictive health measures in the face of the COVID-19 epidemic which is raging there. , with a large number of load cells infected with the coronavirus, adding to the previous problems since the explosion at the Port of Beirut “The COVID situation is difficult. For two (2) weeks, we have had confinement, we have 3,000 positive cases per day, out of 6 million people, we have a batch of oxygen and economical masks and the NGOs are helping us with the food packages. We ask the volunteers to go to the houses to distribute them with the masks, the glasses and to ensure, the sanitary measures " Doctor Ismael Hassouneh, “During the explosion never on site, we met Lebanese doctors, the phase, of treatment of patients affected by COVID-19. How to do? It was necessary to set up a communication campaign of Lebanese doctors and DPNA, the SPF has already given a subsidy to deal with this crisis situation and the population thanks to a communication awareness campaign on health measures, sanitary gestures and on has been working in the country for a very long time, with Lebanese doctors. "

THE BLAST AT THE PORT OF BEIRUT HAS AFFECTED 300,000 NOW FRAGILIZED PEOPLE---------------------------- Doctor Ismael Hassouneh describes the post-blast situation to us: "The explosion affected 300,000 people, so it weakened and accelerated the vulnerability of people and affected, and then we followed the wounded and helped families, with the epidemic. of COVID-19. "He ends with the financial aspect which has weakened families, and even salaried people:" What has affected the most, ie 90% of wages, is because of the devaluation of the currency, and especially that people have become more vulnerable, and therefore the 300,000 homeless and the elderly, whose retirement funds have disappeared. " He ends by thanking and praising the help and support from the SPF, "So they have a double sentence, or our program, from SPF, and we are on a program to expand the program throughout the territory. to fight against poverty which also affects the foreboding and hygiene to work together "----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Generous Donators, in the name of international solidarity, can get in touch with The Secours populaire calls for financial donations to help the Lebanese people, the situation there is dramatic: www.secourspopulaire.fr Source: SPF