It’s not easy to tell the story of a country which, since its declaration of independence in 1943, has experienced constant cyclical tensions and internal conflicts alternating with brief periods of peace and economic development.
Different religious groups have coexisted for centuries in Lebanon, with the State recognising as many as 18 different denominations between Arab Christians, Muslims and the Jewish community.
Recent history tells of a country which between 1975 and 1990 was shaken by a bloody civil war involving not only the Christian and Muslim communities but also foreign armies and militias, including the Syrian, Israeli, and American armed forces, along with Palestinian militant groups. Even today, as you wander through the busy streets of the capital Beirut, you can see damaged buildings or structures marked by mortar fire.
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, just a few blocks from the luxurious city center, stands the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila, where Inter Campus operates together with Anera (an international NGO) to support 80 Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese children.
The Shatila camp was established between 1948 and 1949 to host Palestinian refugees fleeing their lands following the declaration of independence of the State of Israel. The fleeing Palestinians left their homes convinced they would return shortly, but they never went back to Palestine, and so, for more than 70 years, they have lived confined in a veritable ghetto. Classifying Shatila as a refugee camp is misleading: Shatila is a true neighborhood, a forest of dilapidated buildings extending for approximately one square kilometer, which today hosts about 28,000 souls, including Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Shatila is a labyrinth of dark alleys where the sun never reaches, and where, looking up at the sky, one sees only a dense network of electrical cables dangerously intertwined with water pipes. Primary services such as potable water distribution and sewage systems are lacking, and walking through the alleys, one is assailed by the strong putrid odor of a place where air does not circulate.
The recent pandemic is causing a second wave throughout the Near and Middle East and is irremediably pushing the country towards the abyss; suffice it to consider the dizzying fall of the Lebanese lira, which since February has lost more than 90% of its value, causing a lethal increase in the prices of all essential goods. Added to this is the almost total lack of electricity throughout the country and scarce fuel reserves.
In such a complex and unjust context, Inter Campus manages to guarantee its children a safe space to play freely, momentarily distancing them from daily difficulties and deprivations, and trying to plan together the serene future that each one deserves.