NNA - German Development Minister Svenja Schulze inspected today the German development cooperation project, “The Community Kitchen” (Matbakh El Kell), in Beirut, accompanied by German Ambassador Andreas Kindl; Director of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbe (GlZ) Office in Lebanon Thomas Müller, and Program Director of GIZ Bjorn Zimbrich,

The visit comes to highlight the importance of the support provided to mitigate the repercussions of the war in Ukraine on food security around the world.

The German delegation was received by the Souk El Tayeb Association, represented by Managing Partner Christine Koudsy.

An issued statement indicated that "Souk El Tayeb has implemented the project in cooperation with GIZ,” adding: “In the aftermath of the explosion that struck Beirut in August 2020, Germany, through GIZ and other implementing partners, provided rapid support to the people affected by the explosion by starting the ‘Community Kitchen’ project. Over the course of 16 months, workers in the kitchen prepared about 332,897 meals to distribute to the people most affected by the blast. About 146 men and women were employed, each of whom worked in the kitchen for 40 days, where they obtained a short-term income that they desperately needed, especially in light of the economic and financial crisis facing the country.”

The statement continued to indicate that the “Community Kitchen” is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ and is implemented by GIZ in partnership with the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and in cooperation with “Souk El Tayeb”.

"Through the support provided by the Federal Republic of Germany, similar projects are being implemented in Lebanon that provide people with short-term jobs that contribute to improving their incomes. Also, with main funding from the German government and co-funding from the European Union, GIZ has been supporting economic and social development in Lebanon for more than 40 years, as the agency is active in the areas of economic development, employment, education, water, social participation and conflict transformation,” the statement concluded.

=========R.Sh.