Lebanon: A Personal Story
Ripples of Hope

Wars and armed conflicts damage the spirit of a people as well as the land.  Ripples of despair begin to spread far and wide.  Following the summer war of 2006, called the July War in Lebanon, one man began to realize the depth of devastation his family business had suffered.

The family's banana plantation had taken serious hits.  There was extensive damage caused by the shrapnel from the bombs that tore holes in the land and in his irrigation system.  A third of the plants in the plantation had died due to lack of water during the bombardments, and another third needed lots of hard work and care to bring them back to life.

Living with his wife and two sons outside Tyre, our plantation owner stands out as a generous, hospitable man in a land that exudes hospitality.  It's impossible to visit his family home without having copious amounts of delicious southern Lebanese dishes and fruit (bananas of course!) spread out before you.

To help with the rebuilding of the plantation, he was offered a private business-recovery loan.  Since the war, he has experienced several failed crops making repayment of the loan difficult.  But as a man of integrity with an excellent reputation in his community, despite the difficulties we expect he will repay the loan early in 2010.

Another investment in the future of one man which sends ripples of hope out into the community.

Lebanon: Rebuilding Amongst the Ruins
October 2009

The Lebanese people have been involved in wars and conflicts since 1975. For the vast majority in southern Lebanon, the result has been serious economic decline and a general lack of prosperity and business opportunities. Hope has all but disappeared for many.
Based in Tyre, the office of Millennium-Canada has started an integrated microfinance program to assist those who want to rebuild or begin new businesses. We want to invest in the lives of many who’ve suffered through these decades of hardship and neglect.

The program is having a positive impact on our small business clients who live in and around Tyre.

As of March 2010, there are 16 clients in the program and 18 microloans have been issued. This includes two loans to clients who paid off their initial loans and wanted to continue growing their businesses. 70% of the loans are being repaid per the contract terms. We are working with those who have encountered difficulties, and they continue to make regular payments on their loans. Our vision is to double the number of clients by the end of 2010.  Our long-term focus for growth reaches out to 2012.

We know that money alone is not the answer. To help ensure the client’s success, our fledgling program combines business training modules and foreign language acquisition along with the microcredit loans. Improving skills in accounting/bookkeeping, marketing, business and financial planning greatly improve the odds that a business will flourish.

Lives are being transformed in southern Lebanon, but our goal reaches beyond improving the lives of individual clients. As their businesses grow and prosper, families and communities are strengthened. Hope is renewed.

 Help us keep hope alive in Tyre

You can help us fulfil our vision to grow this micro loan program giving new life to the people of southern Lebanon. We are actively seeking new microloan capital. There are many ways to donate and we welcome business investment as well. Contact us now for more information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it