The elderly died, adults found employment elsewhere and youngsters don't want to go back and take care of olives and vegetables. We began our climb into the hills just north of the port city of Sidon. We paused at the Convent of St Saviour at Joun, a mixed village of Shia Muslims and Maronite Christians put on the tourist map of Lebanon by its most famous resident, the 19th-century eccentric who dabbled in political intrigue, Lady Hester Stanhope. Along the roadside white concrete boxes had sprung up like airbrushed dragons' teeth. The ministry establishes an office in every sector, and staffs it with engineers and field workers.
Villagers can ask the engineers to draw up plans for their houses.
The field workers help them to resettle. The government has established a central fund to assist returnees, giving priority to older refugees. A lot of the land is owned by the Maronite and Orthodox Churches. Habitat, the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union and US AID finance specific projects. The army maintains a firm presence to keep communal peace.