Escalating since October 2019, the political and economic crisis is driving Lebanon to the brink of bankruptcy. The tragic situation has been exacerbated by a gigantic explosion of chemicals stored in Beirut’s seaport. The middle class has virtually ceased to exist. Educated citizens are fleeing hyperinflation, rising unemployment, power cuts and fuel shortages.
16.12.2021
“After a tornado strikes, you know that you will be left with nothing. You assess the extent of the damage, you make a plan, you start all over again. In Lebanon a tornado passes through our lives every day.” says Mirna, the creator of the Smile in the Box campaign. This year she will give Christmas parcels to nearly 3000 children from the poorest families.
“When we arrived in Lebanon, the dollar cost 24 000 Lebanese pounds on the black market. Within a week it had risen to 29,000. This is a real earthquake for the Lebanese. No household budget is up to date for more than a day or two.” says Ania Kieniewicz, the Good Factory’s delegate to Lebanon.
Schools are cancelling classes by the day because, due to the lack of electricity, people have to produce their own energy for heating and lighting with an inefficient diesel generator, and the funds for fuel are running out very rapidly. Toothpaste has risen from 15,000 Lebanese pounds to 160,000, leading to a hygiene crisis. When inflation reaches 1100%, basic products become a luxury.
It will be Christmas next week. A holiday eagerly awaited by children in every corner of the world.
We are in Lebanon to help Father Christmas make dreams come true for the youngest Lebanese, who have absolutely no idea what inflation and the crisis are. As befits real elves, we have a look at the letters left by children describing their Christmas wishes. Reading them brings tears to our eyes. 11-year-old Peter dreams of a toothbrush and toothpaste, 9-year-old Joya of shampoo and socks.
Thanks to your high-fives, we can be here and make the dreams of not only these two, but several hundred other children from the poorest families come true. The idea of Smile in the Box is simple. In a small Christmas box we put school supplies, a toy, clothes, basic cleaning products and a treat. For most of us these are little things, but for the children that Smile in the Box reaches, it is much more than they dare to dream of.
At the Good Factory we produce good not only at Christmas. Thanks to the High Five! Project, in which we ask only for 5 PLN, but regularly – once a week, you can make dreams come true for Peter, Joya and many other wonderful kids, who didn’t deserve for adults to ruin their world.
22.01.2024
On Grandma’s Day, our thoughts turn to the elderly women who will receive no flowers today. Perhaps they are forgotten by all. We think of 80-year-old Laudie, a senior living on the outskirts of Byblos, Lebanon. The nuns took her in when she lost everything. No one visits Laudie, even though she devoted her life […]
07.12.2023
“Without your help, life would be unbearable.” “What do you dream about?” “I don’t dream about anything anymore. I don’t want to bother anyone with my dreams. I like to talk to people. I miss my son.” We meet a man in a nursing home on the outskirts of Beirut. His name is Fawzi. He […]
03.11.2023
“No one visits me. Fuel is expensive. They probably have no way to come,” explains the 80-year-old. She very much wants to believe that this is the only reason. She hesitates for a moment. Finally, she shakes her head and pushes away unwanted thoughts. She smiles again. Laudie holds a shoebox in her hand. When […]
