Impact Stories

“It has been a very challenging year for everyone, but for the AUB Neighborhood Initiative (NI) it has been a very impactful one despite all the challenges. We have made a big difference in our neighborhood and in the lives of many of our vulnerable neighbors, close and far,” says Mona El Hallak, director of the Neighborhood Initiative.

Generous contributions from AUB faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to the Al Jar Lil Jar campaign totaling LL 768,090,000 have supported 209 needy families in Ras Beirut. Despite this generous support, the circumstances – especially of elderly families – is continuing to worsen. Many are no longer able to get the medications they need. “We will continue to help our needy neighbors hoping that things will start getting better in the New Year,” says El Hallak. “We also hope that even more people will consider supporting the campaign with a monthly donation. No amount is too little. A monthly donation of LL 50,000 makes a difference to our vulnerable neighbors who need us more than ever.” People in Beirut can drop off their donation just inside the Main Gate to the AUB campus on Bliss Street. (There is a white post box with the red square “Al Jar Lil Jar” logo next to the security guard booth. Please be sure to include your name and contact information with your donation so that we can send you a receipt and keep you informed about the Al Jar Lil Jar campaign. Those of you who are not in Beirut can make your donation here.

One of the highlights of 2021 was the Neighborhood Initiative’s collaboration with Nusaned, Arcenciel, and others to restore the beautiful Gholam heritage cluster in Mar Mikhael (a $250,000 project). NI has also implemented several terrific urban interventions in the neighborhood, including benches on Sidani Street and a ping pong table on the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) plaza on campus. Both the benches and the table were made from recycled glass and plastic collected from the Ras Beirut Btifroz project that is still going amazingly well.

The Neighborhood Initiative has also launched, with Al Makassed Volunteering Unit, the CLEAN BEIRUT campaign. They began on Hamra Street with 20 local schools and NGOs, gradually moving to 42 other streets, working with the Municipality of Beirut and around 40 NGOs. This project will continue in 2022 with plans for a major rehabilitation project for Bliss Street, a promotional event for the cigarette butt recycling project that produced the first stand-up paddle board using 12,000 recycled cigarette butts, and a beautification project for the major garbage bin locations in Ras Beirut that will also encourage recycling and sorting at source.

Several AUB faculty members are working closely with the Neighborhood Initiative to engage their students in community projects – and to incorporate some of the data that El Hallak and her team have collected in their courses.

The Neighborhood Initiative was especially active towards the end of 2021 organizing, in collaboration with Al Madina Theater, Al Jar Lil Jar music and song performances to re-enliven Ras Beirut. The program included a Christmas parade with children from private and public neighborhood schools animated by three street performances featuring young Palestinian and Syrian refugee musicians as well as a group of migrant workers; and seven concerts by great local choirs, bands, singers, and performers ranging from established to young up-and-coming new faces. The Arabic Ensemble of the AUB Zaki Nassif Program performed on December 11. The next day, December 12, the Jeelan Band with Khaled Al Abdallah and Oussama Al Khatib took center stage. There were also performances on December 20 (RAND with the Abou Hamad family), December 21 (Pasta e Canta with soprano Ghada Ghanem), December 27 (Mish Min Zaman with Nidal Al Achkar), December 28 (Tahlab w Doud with Ziad Sahhab and Lamia Ghandour), and December 29 (the Fayha Choir). All of the concerts were livestreamed on a huge screen so anyone who happened to be passing by on Hamra Street could enjoy the concerts. They were also livestreamed on the AUB YouTube channel making them accessible to audiences throughout Lebanon and abroad. (You can watch videos of all of these events here .)

“We’re exhausted,” admitted El Hallak, “but also so grateful to the many people who support the Neighborhood Initiative. I want everyone to know, ‘you’re having an impact, a real impact on the lives of people in our neighborhood who are facing very tough times. Together, we hope to create positive vibes in our Ras Beirut neighborhood despite the stressful conditions that are causing so much suffering in Lebanon today.”