in the face of an endless economic crisis, the despair of the population

To grasp the extent of the Lebanese economic disaster, one must listen to the despair of the inhabitants. Never had it been so deep, even during the long years of war that affected the country between 1975 and 1990. At 26, Ibrahim lives on less than 30 euros a month, despite his job as a boat driver. Last spring, he tried to reach Italy illegally, with five members of his family. “My mother told me that if we had the opportunity to leave, we would. She heard that in any country in Europe, at least, we would be considered human beings”he explains.

Without money or passport

Without money or a passport to obtain a visa, the family boarded an overloaded boat. She sank, Ibrahim said, when the Lebanese Coast Guard tried to stop her. His two sisters have since disappeared. But Ibrahim is determined to leave to escape poverty.