{"id":25936,"date":"2022-08-26T15:59:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T15:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/?p=25936"},"modified":"2023-03-07T08:03:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T08:03:36","slug":"pribeh-z-libanonu-nissren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/pribeh-z-libanonu-nissren\/","title":{"rendered":"A story from Lebanon - Nissren"},"content":{"rendered":"

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During the stay of our Lebanese colleagues in Slovakia we interviewed them. Read how the project manager and field worker Nissren Jbara, who manages the implementation of our project in the Bekaa Valley, perceives Lebanon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In July, we had a rare visit from Lebanon. Colleagues from a partner organization ADRA Lebanon<\/a><\/strong> - field worker Nissren Jbara and accountant Jackline Girgis, took part in financial training and meetings on the ongoing humanitarian project, funded by the Official Development Assistance of the Slovak Republic, SlovakAid. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our humanitarian intervention, focusing on sanitation, hygiene and sustainable energy infrastructure, is taking place in the village of Al Faour. The project's main activities include the installation of 30 latrines, a water tank and 100 solar-powered street lamps that will serve 9,375 vulnerable Lebanese families and Syrian refugees living in nearby informal tent settlements.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nissren Jbara<\/strong>A: I have always been attracted to working in the NGO and humanitarian sector. After the Syrian refugee crisis broke out, I felt the need to get involved in activities that would help refugees. Thus, I entered the humanitarian world in 2017 when I started working for ADRA Lebanon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nissren (left) during a latrine handover ceremony in Al Faour village.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ADRA's Lebanese office is strongly involved in the education, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and food security sectors. However, it also operates in crisis areas - for example, it assisted during the devastating explosions in Beirut in 2020 and launched a crisis intervention and distribution of 70 hygiene packages to 354 beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

At ADRA I work as a project manager and field worker. I work in the Bekaa Valley, where ADRA has its office. It is here that we are implementing our joint project with ADRA Slovakia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project has three main objectives. The first is the installation of 30 latrines for Syrian refugees living in informal tent settlements (at the time of the interview we had just completed this activity; editor's note). <\/span><\/p>\n

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Left: As part of the project, we have installed 30 latrines to help Syrian refugee families improve their hygiene standards. Right: A solar-powered water tank will provide families with regular and safe access to water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second activity that we have recently completed is the installation of a water tank. This is connected to an existing well in one of the tented homesteads. Each tent is connected to the water supply and will therefore also be supplied with water. We have installed a solar panel attached to the water tank which powers the pump. Families living in the tents will thus have a regular and safe supply of water. Without the water tank, they would have been dependent on importing or buying bottled water, which is not only expensive, and not environmentally friendly, but also unsustainable in the long term.<\/span><\/p>\n

The third objective is the installation of 100 solar street lamps in the village of Al Faour. The lamps will provide access to energy during the day and night for more than 9,000 inhabitants. This will also reduce crime and the number of cases of gender-based violence, as well as other incidents that residents face during the night hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Solar lamps will provide street lighting in the village of Al Faour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our activities are largely focused on the construction of solar-powered buildings. The fact is that solar panels are more environmentally friendly and much more sustainable. However, that is not all. In Lebanon, solar-powered lamps and solar-powered water storage have one more advantage. The infrastructure in Lebanon is overloaded and unstable. That is why we experience frequent power cuts. In the village of Al Faour, the situation is so serious that we only have electricity for a few hours a day. We have to use generators to make up for the power cuts. However, due to the economic crisis that Lebanon is experiencing, fuel for the generators is too expensive. So having a solar panel is not only financially efficient, but it is also a stable and sustainable source of energy supply.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to being responsible for the administrative implementation of the activities within this project, I also work directly in the field. I communicate with manufacturers, contractors, workers. Most of them are men. Working in a predominantly male team is discouraging for many women. In my case, it is not. We all respect each other. I believe that trust between us plays a big role. It is also important that we know what to expect from each other. In this respect, everything goes smoothly and I don't feel any disadvantages as a woman.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nissren during educational activities with children.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trust is also key when working with local communities. But it's not just that. It usually takes time to build. However, the people in Al Faour have always been very friendly, open and trusting - this is also because they share the same culture, the same traditions, they share similar backgrounds and we are very similar. <\/span><\/p>\n

The great advantage of working in the field is that when you get to know the local communities, get to know their problems and needs, you also get a better understanding of who they are and what they need. For example, while assessing the needs of our project, we were approached by an elderly woman asking if we could install a French toilet seat for her, rather than a traditional Arabic toilet seat. She has problems with her legs. So we installed a French toilet seat on her latrine and she was very happy with it. She was very grateful and even said a prayer for us! It is experiences like this that convince me that my work is meaningful and has a positive impact on people in need. <\/span><\/p>\n

In these times, I see the meaning of my work more than ever. As a result of the Syrian refugee crisis, which has been ongoing since 2011, we have more than 1.5 million refugees in Lebanon. This is the most refugees per capita in the world. The Lebanese people, who already had limited resources before, now have to share them with the refugees. It therefore means that even more people need help than before.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, Lebanon has been facing a deep economic crisis since 2019, affecting everyone, whether Lebanese or Syrian refugees. The salaries of most residents are around $50 a month, which is almost nothing compared to the high prices. Especially those who were already struggling before the crisis need help.<\/span><\/p>\n

To make matters worse, the war in Ukraine has also affected us. The economic crisis we are facing has deepened. In order to have bread and other foodstuffs, we are dependent on cereal imports from Ukraine. Now, however, many bakeries have stopped production and the price of bread is rising rapidly. Before the crisis, a packet of bread cost around GBP 1 500 and now it is almost GBP 20 000! For the average person, this is an extreme jump.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Visit to the Humanitarian Aid Site (Who will help Ukraine) in Bratislava's Aupark.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And my trip to Slovakia? Apart from the fact that I really liked Bratislava and its cleanliness, I especially appreciate the fact that I had the opportunity to develop our working relationship with my colleagues from ADRA Slovakia and with the donor SlovakAid. The personal meetings are invaluable. Meeting them in person was very important and useful for me. I feel that we were able to talk about project matters in more depth. Not everything can be discussed through ZOOM. We also discussed a new project that will focus on building additional water infrastructure for the Lebanese and Syrians. We will be working on the project from December 2022 and it will again be funded by the Official Development Assistance of the Slovak Republic, SlovakAid. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Nissren (right) and Jackline (left) during their visit to Slovakia. There was also a pleasant time spent in the company of our project team Anna-Maria and Adriana (in the middle).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mutual trust and openness is extremely important in such projects. This is the only way successful cooperation is born. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to come to Slovakia and I am convinced that my visit helped us to deepen our cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Project activities SAMRS\/2021\/HUM\/1\/8 - WASH intervention and sustainable energy infrastructure for Syrian refugees and Lebanese in the Bekaa<\/a><\/strong> are financed from the resources of the Official Development Assistance of the Slovak Republic, SlovakAid<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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During the stay of our Lebanese colleagues in Slovakia we interviewed them. Read how the project manager and field worker Nissren Jbara, who manages the implementation of our project in the Bekaa Valley, perceives Lebanon.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":25937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[308],"tags":[314],"class_list":["post-25936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-libanon","tag-libanon"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25936"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25962,"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25936\/revisions\/25962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}