Deir El Ahmar

Deir El Ahmar is a Lebanese town, located at 100 km from Beirut and 12 km northeast of Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.

Deir el Ahmar's location in the fertile Beqaa Valley makes agriculture its main economical activity. The town has also good potential for tourism due to the mild climate, pristine nature, and the variety of historical and archeological sites. Ecotourism, especially natural excursions and hiking trips are becoming more popular in the region of Deir el Ahmar. Tourists also visit the local organic farms and participate in farming activities.

However, an economical and demographic study conducted in Deir el Ahmar by Dr Gaby Saliba in 2001 highlights the following three problems:

1- High emigration of youth [62% of population] and still increasing mainly caused by the lack of high education institutions and the nearest university is 40 minutes away.
2- Scarce role of women in development.
3- And high rate of unemployment.

The pictures above were taken by my colleagues Fanny and Vanessa who spent 4 days in Deir El Ahmar accompanying our wine producers during their first audit for organic certification, provided by the IMC international body.

En route to women's cooperatives in the Bekaa - iloubnan.info

Report by Anne llcinkas from iloubnan.info
Music by Dhafer Youssef

This report summarizes our field trip on October 15th and our celebration of World Rural Woman's Day. In the midst of our most forgotten Lebanese villages, there are powerful women doing some impressive work and bringing change to their households and communities...this video is priceless...

Thank you Anne.

Fair Trade Lebanon featured in - Top stories - iloubnan.info

Pictures and report by Anne llcinkas.

The Success Platter or what happened on October 15th....

To make a Success Platter, you need:

-2 cups of Believers and Visionaries
-250g of Long-term Focus and Commitment

-250g of the rich mixture: Motivation, Solidarity, Ethics

-A handful of Laughter

-1 teaspoon of a few falls

-1 tablespoon of Lessons learnt

For topping:We suggest some white cream made of Ambitions and Projects

Combine all ingredients. Spread in pan and bake until golden brown!
This recipe serves a lot of people, as many as you want, perhaps even a whole nation...

On October 15th, we spent a day with nothing on our mind but the future of our dear Lebanon. Journalists have shown us recognition for the hard work of rural women in their cooperatives and for the cause of Fair Trade...it was a rewarding day...

To all of you with us on that day, Thank You...

Celebrating World Rural Woman's Day on October 15th

On October 15th 2010, Fair Trade Lebanon will invite local journalists to a field trip day to celebrate the World Rural Woman's Day and raise awareness for the Fair Trade cause and its impact on local disadvantaged communities.

Our organization has programmed visits to two women's cooperatives and partners located in the Bekaa. This field trip will give the journalists the chance to dialogue with those active women, learn about their stories and watch them while they work in their cooperatives.

We will first visit women from the cooperative of Fourzol, in the caza of Zahle to witness the preparation of grape molasses. Then we will head to Rachaya in West Bekaa, where the cooperative will be preparing jams and grilled wheat. Members will openly speak about their daily challenges, their progress and their ambitions.

Pictures and press releases will be available after the 15th, stay posted!

More of Mosaic...

In baalbeck

Wine producer talks to the group about Lebanese agriculture and challenges in the region of Deir el Ahmar.

Enjoying a traditional Lebanese lunch in our partner cooperative in Rachaya – West Bekaa. Sahtein!

Saturday night: Group sleeps at Eco-lodge in Taanayel, a small village reconstructed in traditional methods, promoting sustainable development and authentic living.

Mosaic : Beyond Differences

When you collect small pieces of colored stones and glasses, you get an artistic Mosaic design; when you collect colored individuals, you probably get something that looks like this:

Fair Trade Lebanon has organized a cultural week-end and a fair trade tour for a French group of visitors. Their trip to Lebanon falls under a program called "Mosaic".

Mosaic...because beyond all the differences that exist between societies and cultures, the possibility of sharing one common big picture should never be underestimated.

It is the Lebanese conviviality and mixture of communities that has attracted them to come to this country. Their program includes visits to small producers, rural areas, touristic sites and discussions with professors and diverse important religious figures.

Ahla w Sahla, sharaftouna !

You don't need 500 dollars !

Urgent need to escape?!

Grab your backpack and sunglasses and follow Fair Trade Lebanon.

Yesterday our team chose to work outside of our Beiruti office and chase some nature! We drove up to Deir El Ahmar.

You don't need to pay those 500 dollars to travel abroad and vent out. You got it all right here in Lebanon!

The city can be very overwhelming and our day was a real escape and a reason to look into the core topics of our organization. Today we are at a crossroad in our projects. Diverse opportunities are laying ahead for us.

The whole program had a participative approach, we all shared our impressions and reviewed together our strategies, redefined our objectives for the future and the nature of the image we want to send out.

What is it that we are promoting? Are we only showing our managerial expertise or are we tackling the real deal? Fair Trade is about responsibility. It begins with the small producers we accompany and goes into every other part of the work. Responsibility of starting a project and pursuing it, responsibility of looking for quality and providing it always, responsibility of lifting all of our partners with us, responsibility of preserving our weak land;

We hold on tight to our mission and want to remain a vehicle for our disadvantaged producers. Tempted by their empowerment and working to their benefit.

Back in 2006, Fair Trade Lebanon was a test, a dream for some and a craziness for others. Only 3 people managed it when orders were made, once or twice a year.
Today, we represent a total of 10 people: full timers, coordinators, interns and 5 dedicated founders. Along with the members of the cooperatives, we are one big family.

The brand Terroirs du Liban has crossed many borders and has made it to France, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Holland. All thanks to team work, spirit and belief in Fair Trade and in Lebanon.

Our green journey was very refreshing and has left us all oh so grateful..
Thank You.

Mate...from Argentina all the way to Syria and Lebanon!

Mate, also known as cimarrón, is a traditional South American infused drink. It is prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate in hot water. It is the national drink in Argentina, though Paraguay and Uruguay also happen to claim nationality over the beverage, and drinking it is a common social practice in parts of Brazil, Chile, eastern Bolivia, Lebanon and Syria.

The custom of drinking mate in some provinces of Syria and Lebanon came from Arabs who moved to South America during the early twentieth century, adopted the habit, and kept it after returning home. Syria is the biggest importer of yerba mate in the world, importing 15,000 tons a year. It is mostly the Druze community in Syria and Lebanon who maintain the culture and practice of mate.

Those who share the mate join in a kind of bond of total acceptance and friendship. Generally the server of mate will start a new infusion and then take the first drink. This is considered an act of kindness by the other people in the circle, because usually the first serving is considered the worst.

I tasted mate for the first time during our last visit to our partner cooperative in the bekaa, I had the second serving which was still a bit bitter and I found it very close to strong green tea...one can of course add sugar according to his taste!

Ever seen a blossoming almond tree?

above: pic taken in Rachaya (West Bekaa) a couple of days ago.

"A blossoming almond tree" painting by Van Gogh

The Almond is a native to the Mediterranean climate region of the Middle East, eastward as far as Pakistan. It was spread by humans in ancient times along the shores of the Mediterranean into northern Africa and southern Europe and more recently transported to other parts of the world, notably California.

Global production of almonds is around 1.7 million tonnes.

Major producers are the USA (41%), Spain (13%), Syria (7%), Italy (6%), Iran (6%) and Morocco (5%). Algeria, Tunisia and Greece each account for 3%, Turkey, Lebanon and China each account for 2%.

In the United States, production is concentrated in California.

Importing over 94 % of its consumption, India is the largest global and U.S. market for in-shell almonds.

Source: Wikipedia

Let's talk Olives, shall we?

Olive trees...

Pic taken in Kfaryachit, north of Lebanon

Olive trees are very hardy and resistant to drought, disease and fire. Their root system is actually capable of regenerating the tree even if the above-ground structure is cut-off.
The older an olive tree is, the broader its trunk appears. Many olive trees in the groves around the Mediterranean are said to be several centuries old and have long been considered sacred and symbolic.

Olive leaves symbolize abundance, glory and peace. They are mentioned in many religions and are still used today in several religious ceremonies. Also, in ancient Greece, olive oil was used to anoint kings and athletes!

More here.

Kfaryachit, a tiny mezmorizing village

Kfaryachit is a small village in the Caza of Zgharta. Its 250 inhabitants are mainly involved in the olive business.

Field trip on a Saturday, amazing!

In Lebanon, we live around the clock. If you are out late on a Friday night, chances are you will still find yourself hooked up in a pretty condensed program Saturday morning. This is exactly what happened to me this morning. Today, we headed North on a field trip with Fair Trade Lebanon to visit some of our olive oil producers located in a small village in the Caza of Zgharta; Amazing.

Women going to France with no visas

What is Ambition?

When somewhere in your heart, you are convinced. When the whole world tells you to stop and give in, yet you remain steady and focused. When no one looks towards you and still somewhere in your mind, you know you have a chance.

Take it.

Nothing will ever come to you if you don’t start walking in its direction. So whether you define it as financial expansion, as happiness, as power, as education, sports, health, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter as long as you walk.

Stay focused.

I learned that even women in the far end of my country had ambitions. They too wanted their work to be recognized. Sky is their only limit and it is looking pretty bright these days.
Proud? They definitely are…Ambitious? To the bones…and bound together, they’ve always been; because city lights haven’t blinded them, because divided, they know they would fall, and because together they are building their ultimate dreams. Brick by brick, day by day, they are building the longest, steadiest bridge from the heart of Lebanon to the biggest continents.

Lift people with you.

When a precious mother knows that her own son living in Italy goes regularly to France and buys products made by his mother’s hands and love and those of her friends, she knows she’s made it. She knows she crossed those endless borders and needed no visas nor check controls. All she had was an ambition; a desire; a possibility that she chose to pursue.

Fair Trade Lebanon is a means, a link between forgotten cooperatives and responsible consumers but not a miracle doer. Guts and Perfectionism are qualities we learn and develop everyday and in every specific scale of our work.