A resident of Dahyeh, Beirut, cooks on a mini gas cylinder, Mars 9 2023 (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — “Over LL1 million for a gas cylinder that lasts less than one month,” lamented Hala Radawi, a mother of five, on the bustling street of Hamra.
“Last year it cost LL300,000 during Ramadan and I was barely able to get by, what am I supposed to do now?” she asked.
Ramadan is set to begin on March 23, but for crisis-hit Lebanon the holy month, meant for fasting, spiritual yearning and self-reflection, comes as Lebanon is amidst an economic crisis that has been spiraling out of control for more than three years, with no tangible solutions in sight.
Last Ramadan when the lira stood at LL24,000 to the dollar on the parallel market, a gas cylinder cost approximately LL300,000, or $12.50. This year, with the lira worth LL100,000 to the dollar on the parallel market, the cost has tripled for anyone whose income still remains in lira.
A single gas cylinder now costs approximately LL1 million or more than half of Lebanon's monthly minimum wage. To those with access to fresh dollars, the cost remains close to $13.
Cold meals
Ramadan is a time for family members to gather and enjoy warm meals, but many families across Lebanon have resorted to “cold prepared” meals that do not necessarily need a stove.
“Tomato kibbeh, potato kibbeh and lentil kibbeh are the three staple dishes in my household right now, as they need none to minimal cooking,” Fadia Abbas, who lives in the southern suburbs of Beirut, told L’Orient Today with a laugh.
One of the many dishes which are cooked during Ramadan, for Iftar, in Hariss, South Lebanon, May 18 2022 (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
For Abbas, tightly rationing gas is nothing new.
“A gas cylinder at my household lasts for months. I just found a way to stretch it out,” she said. “That’s how it’s always been in Lebanon. If it’s not a war or a tight security situation, it’s an economic crisis or any other tragedy.”
“God willing we will be fine,” she added with a small smile.
As Ramadan approaches, many low-income families say they are asking for gas cylinder donations, rather than food boxes or supermarket coupons.
The tradition of distributing hot meals and food products is carried out throughout the Muslim world during the holy month, when believers are required to share their wealth with the less fortunate.
“Every year, a local NGO gives me a food box that lasts around 20 days if I stretch it. This year, I won’t be able to cook if they gave me the food box,” Um Hamzah, from central Beirut, told L’Orient Today. “I told them I need a gas cylinder, and I’ll figure out the rest.”
A pile of gas cylinders are stored inside a supermarket in Haddath, Beirut, Mars 9 2023 (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
Lebanon is in its fourth year of a crippling financial crisis, which ranks among the world’s worst financial crises since the mid-19th century, according to the World Bank.
With the rise in unemployment and the dollarization of the most basic household needs — including the monthly subscription to the electricity generator and fuel — most Lebanese are barely surviving.
Expecting the diaspora to pitch in
Decorations, colored lanterns, food tables set up outside, family gatherings and bustling Ramadan markets: Lebanese in the diaspora and at home work hard to make sure traditions are kept up.
Mohammed Haniyah, a local supermarket owner in Aicha Bakkar, Beirut, said he noticed a sharp decrease in gas cylinder sales in the last few months; however, he insists that as Ramadan approaches “things will resolve, at least temporarily.”
Haniyah said every year, relatives abroad and well-wishers start sending more and more money not only to family members, but to childhood friends, distant aunts and cranky neighbors.
“It’s the month of blessings and giving, so I’m not worried,” he concluded.
Amid Lebanon's ongoing economic crisis, the price tags for many common household necessities have been dollarized. (Courtesy of InnerVoice Beirut)
Indeed, the first influx of Ramadan-linked donations has started to arrive.
Riham Hijazi, the head of London-based NGO Who is Hussain’s Beirut office, told L’Orient Today that the organization began to receive more donations halfway through March in anticipation of Ramadan.
Each year, Who is Hussain distributes food boxes and supermarket coupons to over 1,000 families.
This year, “many [families] needed gas cylinders, chicken, and meat and so that’s what we distributed,” explained Hijazi, noting that the organization’s priority is to provide food services.
“Year after year, the number of families that are no longer middle class and [in a deteriorating]situation is growing,” said Hijazi. ”Their income is reducing and their purchase power is reducing. Their income has decreased significantly but the prices of everything in liras has skyrocketed.”
InnerVoice Beirut (IVB), a local organization that helps 400 families in need per year, said they receive donations mainly from the Lebanese diaspora. Lebanese abroad have to watch the crisis in their homeland spiral out of control and often feel helpless.
A volunteer with InnerVoice Beirut. (Courtesy of InnerVoice Beirut)
“For the past thirteen years now, we have provided the less fortunate with food, hygiene items, medical products, clothing, and more,” the head of IVB, Joumana Beydoun, told L’Orient Today.
“Because of the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon and the rapid changes in prices in supermarkets, this year we have decided to provide meals, food, and supermarket coupons to families in need,” she said.
Coupons allow families to choose what they need to buy, including gas cylinders
“Some ask for rent money, some ask for gas cylinders, but one thing is for sure: people are becoming more and more in need as the years go by in Lebanon,” Beydoun adds.
Last Ramadan, Oath — a charitable NGO dedicated to serving the less fortunate — fed over 3,000 families with meals, group iftars, and food boxes that include everything a fasting family needs during the month.
InnerVoice Beirut (IVB), a local organization helps 400 families in need per year, said they receive donations mainly from the Lebanese diaspora. (Courtesy of InnerVoice Beirut)
Abbas Bazzi, the head of Oath, told L’Orient Today that this year is almost as harsh as last year.
“Some people want food, some need blankets to keep them warm, but many this year need gas cylinders and we have taken an oath upon ourselves to ensure that,” Bazzi said.
Oath is going one step further by trying to provide jobs to people in need. Bazzi offered the example of a woman he met last year who made and sold saj. As the price of gas cylinders and flour soared, she closed down her business.
“We got her the gas and products needed to make bread, and we bought her products and donated them to hundreds of families,” Bazzi said.
Riwa Raoofi, a mother of three who received two gas cylinders from a local NGO, told L’Orient Today that her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren all gather at her home for iftar every Ramadan.
“It’s been our ritual for years and we’ve tried to keep it up, despite the hard times,” Raoofi said.
“I really don’t know what I would have done without the gas cylinder, but thankfully there is a God watching over us.”