The impact of the deteriorating economic situation on social reality... and women’s innovations in the Bekaa
The economic collapse in Lebanon has led to an increase in the financial exploitation of women and the lack of job opportunities for them, as expressed by 28-year-old Alaa Al-Zouhouri who lives in Al-Manara in West Bekaa. This was one of the reasons that prompted her to search for economic projects aimed at creating job opportunities for experienced and skilled women in different fields and finding solutions that can address some of the impact of crises in the country. The first project she carried out through her participation in a training program on community leadership in 2016 had to do with clothes recycling with the aim of creating job opportunities for women skilled in sewing and embroidery.
Al-Zouhouri says, “I tried to bring together the largest number of women of different nationalities and ages who have experience in weaving in the area where I live. We achieved positive results, but we faced economic challenges in the final stages, the most important of which was the lack of adequate funding of the project.
Individual initiatives are not provided with financial support by associations and institutions, hence the dependence of these initiatives on collective efforts in an attempt to ease the crises at the lowest cost.
Women stand hand in hand despite the successive crises and financial challenges facing their individual projects
The escalation of crises of all sorts in Lebanon and the aggravating waste crisis that has affected all regions of Lebanon over the past several years due to the financial crisis has reduced the possibility of waste management to a minimum. As a result, waste collection and disposal is not adequately performed and new crises are faced at all economic, social and environmental levels.
However, women in the Bekaa Valley did not give up hope. Accordingly, Al-Zouhouri experimented with weaving used plastic bags. In fact, she revived her first project and transformed it from clothes recycling to plastic bag recycling.
Al-Zouhouri and a dozen women with skills and experience in sewing began to collect plastic bags, cleaned and sterilized them, turned them into threads, and then weaved them in different designs. This was their first experience with small pieces made for Christmas decorations, and after it made a success, it developed into various designs and products that can be useful in our daily lives. Thus, the women’s group expanded to include a larger number of women who received training in weaving and handicrafts, with women from the villages of Majdel Anjar, Bar Elias, and Al-Marj forming the team. This was the basis of the “Jellyfish” initiative launched in 2017 under the supervision of Alaa Al-Zouhouri, assisted by a team of women from different backgrounds and villages. Jellyfish participated in markets, exhibitions, and festivals where handmade products are displayed, such as Souk Al-Tayeb in Beirut in participation is periodical.
Developing plans to market products and increase the number of female beneficiaries working in the project
Al-Zouhouri tells me that what makes the initiative special is that the women’s team is keen on marketing high quality handmade products rather than merely selling them and contributing to the project, in addition to promoting the products on social media such as Facebook and Instagram, while the greater part of the profit goes to the women producers. After training was provided on developing emerging community-based initiatives in the workshop of the Lebanese International University in Al-Khiyara in West Bekaa in 2019, a quantum leap was achieved with the project winning the first award worth 3,000 euros received from the Italian Coordinating Committee of the Organisation for Voluntary Service (COSV). They also received the best startup award worth $7,000 from BRIDGE Spark.
The two awards enabled them to expand and train groups of around 100 women in Arsal, Tripoli, and Saida. Those who expressed their interest in learning the craft and their desire to work in the project, received training at an advanced level and worked on manufacturing products.
Manar Nasr, a 38-year-old woman from Majdel Anjar and project participant, said “I heard about the initiative from some women who live in my neighborhood, so I got in touch with one of them who trains women in embroidery. I did not have enough experience in this field, and after being supervised by trainers, I gained skills and experience and was able to create different designs for bags, baskets, and toys for children. My desire to join the project was driven by the aim of gaining and developing skills and experience in handicrafts, and sharpening my sense of creativity and accomplishment after every design I produce and financial return I secure.”
Al-Zouhouri went on to say, “Because the local market is saturated with handmade products, we decreased the prices and put an emphasis on exporting the products and marketing them abroad, but with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the worsening economic crisis, our work and marketing of the products were negatively affected. But despite all the difficulties that Lebanon is facing and the challenges that hindered the development of the initiative, we kept collecting plastic bags and provided training in various Lebanese areas, thus teaching women how to handle plastic waste and transform it into useful products.”
The “Jellyfish” initiative has aspirations and goals at the environmental and societal levels
According to Al-Zouhouri, “the implementation of the project was not done in a vacuum, but it rather has two main goals. The first is to empower women in society, help them find job opportunities, and secure financial income for them. The second is to create an ecosystem that helps reduce the harm of used plastic bags that are widespread in nature, especially after the waste crisis intensified in Lebanon in 2017. The large number of plastic bags reaching the sea are swallowed by sea turtles, causing them to suffocate, die, and become extinct. The shape of plastic bags in the sea is similar to that of the jellyfish, hence the name of the initiative.”
Alaa Al-Zouhouri, a Syrian national residing in the Bekaa since 2013, says that she has contributed through this initiative to solving an environmental crisis that everyone suffers from, while at the same time she avoids being a burden on the host community and makes a positive contribution to the country where she has resided for eight years. She adds saying that she is still looking for ways to market products and support the training of the largest number of women in various Lebanese areas, regardless of their nationalities and affiliations, as well as supporting every woman in achieving her aspirations.
Women’s efforts play a crucial role in local communities, exemplified in the unique views, skills and experiences they share. Their contributions are essential in promoting dialogue, reconciliation and sustainable peace within communities. Involving women in local-level initiatives not only enables them to become agents of change, but also creates a more comprehensive and diverse approach to conflict resolution and to addressing the challenges that may hinder their independent decision-making, and helps them find safer and less exploitative work opportunities.
Such initiatives can bring people together, bridge gaps, and create safe spaces. They also help build confidence and promote understanding and cooperation among members of society. It is necessary to realize the importance of the role played by women in local peacebuilding efforts and support it, given that their contributions are effective in creating a more just and equitable world. By acknowledging and supporting women’s efforts at the local level, we can work for a more peaceful and inclusive society in Lebanon.