Fushat ‘Amal, a Space for Hope, is an interactive digital space designed to collect and bring to public attention some of the stories of the thousands of persons who went missing in Lebanon over the past four decades, and whose families continue to struggle to learn about their fate. The digital space is interactive, allowing relatives to create profile pages of their loved ones and add images, videos, and texts that they would like to share, in recognition of these interrupted lives. Behind the abstract number of 17,000 missing, and the framed photographs that have become the hallmark of the families’ public gatherings, there are personal stories to be told and shared. Fushat ‘Amal is one space in which the parents, children, and siblings of the missing can share with us these stories; a space where younger generations and those who did not suffer the same fate can learn about who these people are, and reflect on the consequences of their disappearance, the day they left their homes never to return or be heard of again.
At the time of writing, Act for the Disappeared has focused on preparing the ground for the launching of the website where the space will exist. One of the project’s goals is to engage the youth on this issue; to that end, ACT conducted presentations of the project in six different universities, enlisting over 30 volunteers who have been trained in interview skills, with a focus on the issue of the missing. Since that time, almost 100 interviews with relatives of missing persons from across Lebanon have been conducted. In parallel, ACT has created a support group of 18 civil society organizations to consult in order to ensure widespread support for the issue. A leaflet about Fushat Amal was developed, and is currently being distributed by the ICRC delegates who are gathering data from relatives in the course of their Ante‐Disappearance Data project.
In the upcoming months, ACT will launch Fushat Amal through a communications campaign that will include a press conference, billboard posters, two testimonials to be aired on television; and 10 stories of missing persons to be published in the press.
