MCC staff explore new opportunities as Israel pulls out

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 10 June 2000

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- MCC staff in Lebanon is exploring new possibilities in the country following Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon in May.

"MCC Lebanon is excited about the new opportunities that the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon may have for the direction of our programs," said Randal Nickel recently. Randal and Suzanne Nickel are co-directors of MCC's programs in Lebanon.

"We are talking to our partners, the Middle East Council of Churches, and visiting the area."

Nickel said he expects infrastructure development in south Lebanon will be a high priority for many people and that there will be money flooding in for this purpose. A challenge will be finding a niche that makes sense for MCC and its partners.

"One of the ways that we hope to help is to fill the void in the field of conflict resolution. We want to work with existing and/or new partners to look at helping people reconcile with each other.

"There are intense feelings from village to village in terms of which foreign power the village supported, as well as personal issues. MCC has been working with conflict resolution training through our local partners for several years," said Nickel.

Another possibility will be an increase in agricultural programs. Many of the displaced people or members of the militia will return to farming. There will be a need for sustainable agriculture projects, added Bassam Chamoun, MCC Lebanon's project coordinator.

Other possibilities include helping with landmine cleanup, and working with micro-loans for small business and agriculture development.

"One of the problems that everyone is dealing with is the incredible number of people visiting the area. It is very difficult to have time to talk with people about the situation," said Nickel.

"We look forward to the challenge of discerning the best use of MCC's resources in south Lebanon. We ask for God's guidance and continued prayers."

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org