Sustainable Development

Scholarships for 150 students of tobacco farmers’ children in Marjeyoun and Nabatieh

27 February 2016

Philip Morris Finance an initiative of Regie

Scholarships for 150 students of tobacco farmers’ children in Marjeyoun and Nabatieh

The program will respectively engage in the next two years students from North and Bekaa

 

On 26/2/2016 scholarships were offered to 150 students, of tobacco farmers’ children in Marjeyoun and Nabatieh, who had finished their studies at Southern high schools. Actually, the program is financed by Philip Morris and initiated by Regie.

 

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ali Hassan Khalil and the Regie’s President and General Manager Nassif Seklaoui, Eng. as well as numerous economic, social, and syndical notables and municipal chiefs.

 

The chief of tobacco farmers syndicate in South Haj Hassan Fakih took the floor and listed the achievements of the syndicate on national and international levels. Then he detailed the farmers’ demands, which are:

- Indemnifying farmers for the damages caused by the aggression of  July 2006;

- Enrolling farmers and fishermen in the social security system;

- Activating the agricultural credit bank with 0% interest;

- National fund for agricultural natural disasters;

- Increasing cultivated area and increasing prices according to price index;

- Supporting farmers and guiding their crops.

 

In turn, the Regie’s president, Nassif Seklaoui Eng. spoke and said: “our celebration today represents a form of sustainability, through supporting our local farmers’ capacities and sharing their concerns by reducing their burdens. Benefiting from its production policies and social programs, the Regie attempts to stay constantly updated, to contribute, even though modestly, in spreading education and knowledge, through providing motivations, reducing financial obstacles, enabling competent individuals  to pursue their educational path, and promoting our nation as well as our citizens on different levels: scientifically, educationally, and socially”.

 

He added: “for the third consecutive year, Philip Morris contributes to the syndicate of tobacco farmers, encouraged by the Regie, through providing scholarships for 300 students of tobacco farmers’ children, who had finished their secondary studies for the scholar years of 2014 and 2015 in Marjeyoun and Nabatieh”, hoping that “the said program would engage in the next year students from North and the following year from Bekaa, always within the contribution of Philip Morris, as part of their attempt to take part in our social responsibility concept.”

At the end, Minister of Finance Mr. Ali Hassan Khalil spoke; whereas he paid tribute to tobacco farmers and farming, and said: “when President Berri took the decision of supporting tobacco farming, some renowned names considered the initiative as a burden over the government’s shoulders and an abuse of its resources. However we believed that such step would help farmers to stand in their homeland and provide demographic stability between rural and urban sides.”

 
 

 

Concerning current situation, he said: “our eyes will always be on the future, I shall say to our partners in this nation that we live together and sooner or later our destiny is to come united. So why shall we build fake boundaries between each other, while there will a day in which we will undoubtedly remove them.”

He added: “some security codes must be well kept for the best of this country, which must be done without any delay. The first of these codes is the Lebanese – Lebanese dialogue, while some officials were talking yesterday about pending the dialogue and its insignificance. The question is what the alternative is? Do we have to fight? Dialogue limits disagreements. The second code is the dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah, even though it does not offer any results yet but it still reduces tension. The third code is the continuity of the government since we cannot handle another vacancy following a presidential vacancy and a pending government that cannot pursue its duties, the situation becomes more and more critical.”

 
 

 

He continued: “no one has the right to jeopardize Lebanon by disrespecting these codes in the name of any faction. These codes must be well kept along supporting the army in order to protect the country.”

He concluded: “we followed these tensions for the last couple of days, while President Berri was in Brussels addressing the whole world in the name of Lebanese, Christians as well as Muslims. Let’s stand side by side and address to the world united.”

For the third consecutive year these scholarships are offered, after it engaged Nabatieh and Marjayoun last year and Tyre in the previous year.

 

Next year the program will be dedicated for North and the following year it would cover Bekaa.

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