A Study of Al Nabaa Region in Lebanon from a Development Point of View
Al Nabaa
A Stark Reminder of our Development Shortcomings
Presented by: Karen Chacar
May 3, 2010
The father is a drug addict and in jail. The pregnant mother is struggling to find work as a house cleaner. The elder brother, 17, dropped out of school to scavenge for scrap metal that he can sell for recycling. One of the sisters (15) has left school to look for jobs as a cleaning woman. The one room they share has no electricity except what the neighbours give, and no water. This is the case of a typical family living in one of the poorest areas in Lebanon, Nabaa.
Why Nabaa?
This study targets the northern belts of Beirut, particularly Bourj Hammoud and Sin Elfil. These 2 areas are characterized by overpopulation and by forming a poverty belt of 4.5 km2. Particularly, the following report focuses on the third cluster which comprises the Nabaa area which is divided between Bourj Hammoud and Sin ElFil.
A century ago, the area was known for its fertile cultivated land which attracted inhabitants from different areas to seek work in these agricultural fields and to work in the industries of Beirut. Later, it attracted Armenians who fled Ottoman persecution, and the most significant population increase in this area happened during the 1975 war due to uncontrolled migration, which widened the socio-economic gap among different sectors of the population.
I chose, then, to focus on Nabaa because it is one of the poorest regions in Lebanon characterized by a significantly lower standard of living than many areas around the nation. Caused by a massive population shift to the area in search for jobs with improper urban planning and poor supply of adequate infrastructure and social services, its current socio-economic situation is characterized by: acute health and social problems, poverty, drug addiction, prostitution, unemployment, and misery. Moreover, the community is not at all harmonious because of the political instability in the country and the
A Stark Reminder of our Development Shortcomings
Presented by: Karen Chacar
May 3, 2010
The father is a drug addict and in jail. The pregnant mother is struggling to find work as a house cleaner. The elder brother, 17, dropped out of school to scavenge for scrap metal that he can sell for recycling. One of the sisters (15) has left school to look for jobs as a cleaning woman. The one room they share has no electricity except what the neighbours give, and no water. This is the case of a typical family living in one of the poorest areas in Lebanon, Nabaa.
Why Nabaa?
This study targets the northern belts of Beirut, particularly Bourj Hammoud and Sin Elfil. These 2 areas are characterized by overpopulation and by forming a poverty belt of 4.5 km2. Particularly, the following report focuses on the third cluster which comprises the Nabaa area which is divided between Bourj Hammoud and Sin ElFil.
A century ago, the area was known for its fertile cultivated land which attracted inhabitants from different areas to seek work in these agricultural fields and to work in the industries of Beirut. Later, it attracted Armenians who fled Ottoman persecution, and the most significant population increase in this area happened during the 1975 war due to uncontrolled migration, which widened the socio-economic gap among different sectors of the population.
I chose, then, to focus on Nabaa because it is one of the poorest regions in Lebanon characterized by a significantly lower standard of living than many areas around the nation. Caused by a massive population shift to the area in search for jobs with improper urban planning and poor supply of adequate infrastructure and social services, its current socio-economic situation is characterized by: acute health and social problems, poverty, drug addiction, prostitution, unemployment, and misery. Moreover, the community is not at all harmonious because of the political instability in the country and the