Locating your needs
A community service project in the social-volunteering field opted by the grade 11 students
Introduction
Our project aims to locate Lebanese families in need in the Burj Hammoud area due to the difficult economic conditions in Lebanon and to obtain useful data describing their living situation using ArcGIS Survey 123 Survey Form model based on ArcGIS.
Highlighting the possibility of cooperation and contribution to the payment, securing needs and assisting the largest number of families in need in Burj Hammoud under the current circumstances in Lebanon in cooperation with non-governmental civil society institutions, through the use of a modern technology that gives us easy and accurate access to these families in the field of voluntary charity work.
A picture of the poor neighborhoods from afar in Beirut - Pexels images
We are pleased to cooperate together within one team, which has worked and continued to undertake a lofty initiative required by every Lebanese family that has failed to secure its most basic needs after Lebanon witnessed massive destruction of the capital and its vicinity, with an economic recession that has crippled the country in its various fields. The fragments of the deteriorating situation wore on these families. With this initiative and in cooperation with certain entities, we highlighted the active role of young people in instilling hope after its loss, in a spirit of volunteer, humanitarian, and giving service, in addition to our desire to facilitate the course of assistance to include every needy family without obstacles.
Port explosion disaster
On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion in the bride of Lebanon caused extensive destruction that killed hundreds and displaced thousands.
Beirut wore its black dress to mourn the tumultuous number it lost from martyrs. Massive destruction, victims, destroyed homes, and displaced families... A great tragedy dominated Beirut..
A picture of the explosion in Beirut - Google images
The economic situation and its impact on families after the port tragedy
The explosion of the port of Beirut has been affected by deteriorations at all levels, the most important of which was the economic crisis, which is getting worse day by day. This deteriorating situation is reflected in the social reality in the country so that Lebanon may enter with an unknown fate, having lost the value of its currency.
An illustration about the poverty - Pixabay images
Girls House in Borj Hammoud
Under these difficult circumstances, we challenged the obstacles and visited the girl's house for the Sisters of the Holy Heart in Burj Hammoud, which opened his door to all. Each of the walls in this poor and sad neighborhood were engraved with a story of its people. Despite all these difficult situations in the country, they have withstood and helped everyone with gratitude and satisfaction.
Borj Hammoud - Pixabay images
A glimpse of hope
Sister Juliette told us about the difficult and hopeless living situation of most of the residents of the neighborhood, but that did not prevent them from holding hands and helping each other. We saw honesty and love in their eyes despite poverty and destitution. We promised them to try to help and draw a smile on their faces. Hand in hand, let's make tomorrow better.
A citizen from Borj Hammoud - Picture taken by Elie Barhouche
We build an external dashboard that visually displays data to collect the needs of families in Burj-Hammoud.
We also set up an internal dashboard but we didn’t share it publically in order to keep personal information of the families in need private.
Locating You Need - external dashboard
We place a series of questions in order to collect useful information especially the need of those families to facilitate the process of helping them.
Family's surveys ( locating your needs )
To end our project "Locating your needs", we decided to act, since "actions speak louder than words". The team went to the school on a Saturday and cooked meals to feed those in need in Burj Hammoud. The look of hope in their eyes was heartwarming, it made us think about how grateful and thankful we should be for everything we have.
Two representatives of our group with Ms. Maryse Sawma in the middle
ArcGIS's role in our community service project
"Together remotely", we decided to complete our work despite the bad conditions we are living in due to the Corona pandemic and the economic crisis.
In collaboration with ESRI LEBANON we converted written information into digital information to know more about affected families by the Beirut blast and the economic crash.
To conclude, we worked this project under the supervision of Ms. Maryse Fadel Sawma the responsible of the community service at the school, in collaboration with Ms.Gretta Kelzy and Mr.Ali Awad from Esri Lebanon, and Sister Juliette from the Sisters of the Holy Heart.
Some members from our team - The Holy Family School-Sahel Alma
