Riad Ataya pointed out of a window to a small vessel in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Naqoura, some 100 kilometres south of Lebanese capital Beirut. “Look – that’s my boat,” he said proudly. “We even have a global positioning system, so we can find our way home after fishing in deep waters.” The 55-year-old fishermen said he never thought he would see the day when he would own his own fully-equipped boat. “Before, we were fishing in car tyres,” he explained. Ataya’s good fortune is the result of a programme, run jointly by the UN and the Lebanese government, aimed at rehabilitating the local fishing industry. While fishing had been a staple trade in the area, it had been largely dormant during Israel’s 22-year-long occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended five years ago. “We couldn’t do anything when the Israelis were here,” said Ataya, the head of Naqoura’s modest fishermen’s syndicate, pointing in the direction of the Blue Line, some three kilometers away, which separates Lebanon from its former occupier. “Now we’re beginning to live our lives again.” So far, a number of families have benefited from the programme, part of a larger initiative designed to rehabilitate the impoverished and war-wracked south of the country. Implemented in stages following the withdrawal of Israeli forces in 2000, the programme aims at reviving traditional agriculture industries, such as mushroom farming, bee keeping and olive oil production in some 26 villages. “After the Israeli army left in 2000, the economic situation was extremely poor here,” said UNDP programme manager Mohamad Mukalled. “Post-conflict rehabilitation is being carried out to help stabilise the remaining population and to attract people back to revitalise the economy.” Thanks to the programme, some 120 families, a considerable portion of the village’s modest population, are now working in the industry. Many boats, meanwhile, are equipped with modern equipment, and a fish market – replete with refrigeration units – has been established. This is a vast improvement on the TNT explosives that were previously used to blow fish out of water. Despite the improved climate for fishermen, Ataya said that local salaries, which average about $200 per month, still aren’t enough to provide for the average family of seven. “Our income has nearly doubled, but we could do much more if we had a bigger port and better boats,” he said. INVESTMENT BADLY NEEDED Ever since the Israeli withdrawal, there has been little investment in southern Lebanon. Mukalled attributed this to a number of reasons, including the lack of government planning and political conditions often imposed by would-be donors. Observers note that the dearth of investment also has to do with the presence in the area of the Hezbollah militia, which controls the south. The group, locally credited with the expulsion of Israeli forces, is also a political party, which enjoys 17 seats in parliament. Experts argue that the group’s conflict with Israel and calls by Washington for its disarmament deters would-be donors from investing in the south. Joint UN projects in the south over the past five years have totalled some $4 million. As a result of this shortfall, 37 percent of households in the south live without basic needs, including viable sanitation systems and access to potable water. The area also suffers from low levels of education. While there are several schools in all villages, many lack even the most basic equipment, such as desks. Unemployment in the area, too, is rampant. While the rate of people out of work stands at 11.5 percent countrywide, according to UNDP/government figures, this rate is thought to be much higher in the country’s south. Historically, residents of the area have been farmers, with traditional crops consisting of olives, grapes, figs, pomegranates, wheat and tobacco. With the coming of the Israeli occupation, however, much of the area’s arable land was planted with mines, curtailing the viability of the industry. This, in turn, has led to a considerable outflow of the local work force. “More than half of the young population have left to seek jobs in Beirut or abroad,” said Mukalled. “For those who are in the villages, there are few opportunities.” No recent census has been conducted, largely for political reasons, and accurate statistics are hard to come by. But according to local aid workers, some 44,000 people from the village of Bint Jbeil, a few kilometres from the current Israeli border, left the area over the course of the occupation. A population of a mere 7,000 was left behind. And, given the feeble job local market, the trend seems set to continue. “I will have to look for work in Beirut, too, due to a lack of opportunities in the area,” said teenager Sharbil Louka, echoing the concerns of his friends.
Youth group in the south discusses religious divides. |
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