About VVL

Why Veterans for Lebanon was founded...

Background

From 1979 to 1985, have a total of more than 9,000 Dutch people, mostly conscripts, contributed to the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon.
On February 25, 1979, 74 quartermasters left for Lebanon, the main force of almost 800 soldiers left on March 10, 1979.
The soldiers were deployed in South Lebanon under the name Dutchbatt (Dutch Infantry Battalion).
On 30 September 1983 the Dutch contribution was reduced to the size of a company (about 150 soldiers) named Dutchcoy (Dutch Infantry Company).
On 23 Oktober 1985, the last Dutch UNIFIL soldiers left Lebanon.
Now, 45 years later, this peacekeeping force is still present on the border of Lebanon and Israel.  

It is in 2018 when Bert Kleine Schaars organizes a first trip with former Dutch Unifil soldiers. This is possible with the cooperation of, among others, Minister Bijleveld and airline Transavia , which has just started with direct flights from Amsterdam to Beirut.

The second trip with multiple veterans and their wives or children is in March 2020.
It is another great trip through a country that has great poverty and unfortunately has few options of its own. Only recently have gas and oil fields been found off the coast. In fact, the country is completely dependent on food imports.

Due to the global crises, the country is in bad shape if the Corona also strikes there in March. Medical facilities will come under even more pressure.

From this group, the idea quickly arises how help can still be provided and what could best be organized. If the group in the Netherlands in the Lock down is still working on that idea, something will happen on 4 August 2020 that will change everything in that country and in Beirut.