Two women living below the poverty line are left out by the national programme to support the poorest families in Lebanon

Al Nahar newspaper published a report about two sisters, Bernadette and Houda Chidiac, who live a life of poverty and have yet to benefit from the social assistance of the Ministry of Social Affairs.  Bernadette, who is now 54 years old, toils seeking to secure the basic livelihood necessities for her and her bedridden sister who suffers from physical disability for a decade now.  The report notes that Bernadette applied for support from the National Programme to Support the Poorest Families in Lebanon.  Her file’s reference is 2300516 dated back to 5/12/2011, and was submitted following a home visit carried out two years ago by a social worker assigned by the Ministry to assess her situation according to the criteria set forth by the Ministry but her file seems to have been completely forgotten.  It is to be noted that Al Nahar followed her case file, a year ago, in an attempt to understand why Bernadette never benefited from the programme.  The field assessor responded that Bernadette is indeed considered poor and that she should benefit from the programme but did not provide any further information.
Source: Al-Nahar 7 November 2013