Lebanese Diaspora: Initiatives that contributed to resilience, but…

Lebanese Expatriates: A Lifeline for Lebanon’s Resilience and Future

For decades, Lebanese expatriates have spread across the world, seeking better opportunities and escaping hardships. Through hard work and success, they have made remarkable contributions to their host countries while continuing to support Lebanon in its most difficult times.

While annual remittances from expatriates to Lebanon are estimated between $7 and $8 billion, their support extends far beyond financial transfers. Expatriates have played a vital role in improving infrastructure, healthcare, and employment opportunities, providing a lifeline to struggling communities.

Expatriate Contributions: More Than Just Remittances

Lebanese expatriates have funded essential services in towns across Lebanon.
🔹 Solar energy projects providing electricity.
🔹 Clinics and hospitals offering medical care in remote areas.
🔹 Artesian wells ensuring water supply to villages.
🔹 Job opportunities for young Lebanese through remote work in expatriate-owned businesses.

In an interview with Al-Jaish magazine, Roger Hani, President of the Lebanese Cultural University in the World (LCUW), emphasized the university’s commitment to:
✅ Preserving Lebanese culture and heritage.
✅ Strengthening ties between expatriates and residents.
✅ Organizing summer programs for young expatriates to reconnect with their homeland through cultural, touristic, and social activities.

These initiatives deeply root national belonging and reinforce Lebanese identity among the diaspora.

Ongoing Support & Crisis Response

LCUW branches across various continents have launched lifesaving initiatives, including:

🌍 Aid shipments – Sending essential medications, food supplies, and lighting equipment to struggling municipalities.
☀️ Sustainable energy solutions – Guiding Lebanese communities on solar and renewable energy projects.
💊 Medical relief – Providing large-scale medical shipments from Australia, the U.S. (Boston, New Jersey, New York), France, and other countries.

Emergency Response: Beirut Port Explosion Relief

Following the Beirut Port explosion, Lebanese expatriates immediately mobilized relief efforts, delivering:
🚑 Medical supplies and equipment.
⚡ Energy resources to sustain hospitals and essential services.
🏥 Infrastructure support, including funding for:

• Ain Ebel Hospital
• A clinic in Beirut-Geitawi (in cooperation with the Beity Beitak Association).
• Medical centers in several villages.

Additionally, expatriates have provided remote work opportunities for Lebanese youth, collaborating with local universities to create job placements in international firms.

The Role of Trust in Rebuilding Lebanon

📊 According to the Central Bank of Lebanon:

• Expatriates send over $7 billion annually in remittances, investments, and aid.
• Historically, they rebuilt Beirut after the 1950s and 1960s crises.
• They suffered huge financial losses during the war but returned to invest when confidence in Lebanon’s economy was restored.

💰 However, Lebanon’s current financial crisis and loss of bank deposits have shaken trust, making it difficult to attract expatriate investments once again.

Despite these challenges, LCUW continues to lead efforts to rebuild confidence.

The Expatriate Fund: A Vision for Sustainable Growth

To encourage expatriate-driven investment, LCUW organized the Expatriate Economic Conference in Beirut (August 2022).

✅ Key outcome: The recommendation to establish the Expatriate Fund, officially adopted at the World Conference in Mexico (February 2023).

📌 Purpose of the Expatriate Fund:

• Support development projects in rural areas.
• Provide legal and financial frameworks for expatriates to invest with confidence.
• Ensure sustainable economic growth backed by the Lebanese diaspora.

🛠️ The fund’s administrative and legal structures are being finalized and will be launched soon.

Trust & Hope: The Key to Lebanon’s Recovery

While international loans and IMF funds come with debt burdens, expatriates’ investments offer a sustainable solution to Lebanon’s crisis.

📢 For Lebanon to recover, trust must be restored.
🔹 Expatriates hold the key to reviving the economy through investment and financial support.
🔹 A stable financial system and transparent governance will encourage them to reinvest in Lebanon.
🔹 Their contributions are not just economic—they are a glimmer of hope for rebuilding the nation.

🚀 A prosperous Lebanon is possible—with the strength of its expatriates and the restoration of trust.