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In its edition of today, Al Diyar spotlighted the traditional mooneh which recorded a powerful comeback amid the financial crisis in the country, especially with many Lebanese households becoming dependent on it for subsistence. After a fierce struggle against dominant consumption pattern, traditional mooneh today has become a popular hashtag on social media platforms with rapidly increasing accounts for families seeking to sell home-made items from various Lebanese regions, mainly from Akkar, the South and Bekaa. In this respect, Al Diyar cited the story of “Umm Elias” who created an account for marketing mooneh brands. It began in 2011 when Umm Elias and her family embarked on preparing mooneh and promoting them via social media sites which contributed to a significant increase in sales, as she boasted. Umm Elias revealed that the tradition of making mooneh is increasingly becoming profit-generating and a source of income for households. Work is divided equally among family members, and this includes planting, preparing mooneh foods and managing social media accounts, she explained. Al Diyar also highlighted the story of “Umm Samir” who used to prepared mooneh provisions for house consumption despite the objection from her children for that matter. But with the skyrocketing prices and the shortages of many merchandise, her children gave her a boost helping her out, and she started to sell online contributing to the household expenses. (Al Diyar, November 13, 2020)
 

The president of the Women’s Leaders Council of Lebanon (WLC), Madiha Reslan, disclosed in an interview published in Al Diyar today, that less than 5% of women are business owners. Most often women serve as the façade for their male partners to use the name rather than exercise efficiency and make impact, Reslan said, stressing that the WLC seeks to change that reality. Due to the continuing slump in Lebanon’s GDP, the presence of women has become a pressing need to promote investments, generate new jobs and strengthen the economy, especially that women are known to be creative workers, innovative and a peace makers. Furthermore, Reslan maintained, Lebanese women rally today around enterprises active in social affairs, a field where they largely excel and do well, thus contributing to the welfare of their communities. Speaking about the goals of the Council, WLC head said they involve enhancing the image of women in society and integrating them in economy, sustaining that today is the right time to start investing amid the deepening financial crisis. National currency has lost nearly 70% of its value, which requires women entrepreneurs and business owners to invest in the country since prices are now competitive compared to neighboring countries. With the government’s efforts to fine tune the lifestyle of its citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic, combined with the political stability, Lebanon can once again attract tourists. In conclusion, Reslan wondered who will compensate the private sector the losses incurred by the repeated lockdowns, when they can no longer afford to pay the salaries of employees. She hoped the sector can be exempted from specific taxes to continue.  (Al Diyar, November 13, 2020)