- Title: Lebanese organisation lights up Beirut neighborhoods
- Date: 1st June 2022
- Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (MAY 27, 2022) (REUTERS) WORKER FROM 'REBIRTH BEIRUT', A LEBANESE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION, WORKING ON NEWLY-INSTALLED SOLAR PANELS ON A TRAFFIC LIGHT WORKER BROUGHT DOWN AFTER INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS ON A TRAFFIC LIGHT WORKER WORKING ON ELECTRICITY GRID VARIOUS OF WORKER FROM 'REBIRTH BEIRUT' FIXING TRAFFIC LIGHT TRAFFIC PASSING BY RED TRAFFIC LIGHT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF 'REBIRTH BEIRUT,' GABY FERNAINE, SAYING: “We did an important initiative for the city (Beirut), which was to bring back traffic lights through solar power. It was really the first initiative we did, to bring back hope. We named it ‘with each traffic light, there’s a glimpse of hope’ and the idea was to bring back hope to the residents of the city, to the city and to Lebanese people so that they feel like they are really living in a civilized city.†VARIOUS OF WORKER FROM 'REBIRTH BEIRUT' FIXING A TRAFFIC LIGHT VARIOUS OF WORKER WORKING ON AN ELECTRICITY GRID WORKER FROM 'REBIRTH BEIRUT' FIXING A TRAFFIC LIGHT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF 'REBIRTH BEIRUT', GABY FERNAINE, SAYING: “There’s an economic crisis, and the government is not able, it is not able to light up the streets and get the electricity back for the time being, that’s what we know. Ever since I was born, I’ve been told that electricity will become available for 24 hours and we are still waiting. So until we have electricity and a strong government to fix things, we decided to work hand in hand, and work with the local community and the private sector to start working on initiatives. That’s how the ‘Light up your street’ initiative was created. ‘Light up your street’ was done in collaboration with MEDCO (a petroleum company) and will create an incentive for people to light up the streets through the private generators of buildings and neighborhoods. It it is working with the local community so that everyone in their local community, if they have a generator, can light up their street. That’s the idea behind ‘light up your street’." REBIRTH BEIRUT LOGO INSTALLED OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION'S OFFICE IN BEIRUT VARIOUS OF STREET LAMPS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF 'REBIRTH BEIRUT', GABY FERNAINE, SAYING: “All together, hand in hand, we are able to succeed in this initiative of lighting up Beirut again. If we want to wait for the government, we might wait a long time and the idea is to light up Beirut again. Beirut is sad, Beirut has shut down so if we, the local community and the private sector, are able to light our city, we shouldn’t wait, we should light it up ourselves. Hopefully one day not too long from now, we will have electricity again and our city will be lit without the need for initiatives of NGOs.†VARIOUS OF SUN SETTING BEHIND BEIRUT PORT SILOS, STILL DAMAGED AFTER THE 2020 BLAST VARIOUS OF STREET LIGHTS IN MAIN STREET IN GEMMAYZE, LIT BY AN INITIATIVE OF 'REBIRTH BEIRUT' / TRAFFIC AND PEOPLE PASSING BY LIT STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE CITIZEN, MARIA AL-SAMMAK, SAYING: “Before 'Rebirth Beirut' installed the lights, I was honestly scared of walking on the street because one couldn’t see and you didn’t feel like you were in a safe environment. Even as women, obviously it’s always more of a challenge, a bigger challenge, because there is a risk of getting assaulted. Of course, now that there are lights, you feel that it is safer, and at the same time you feel like it is more alive. Before, you felt like it’s a dead area and they (referring to Rebirth Beirut) have brought a bit more life back, it really is a rebirth honestly.†CARS DRIVING THROUGH LIT STREET VARIOUS OF CARS DRIVING PAST BUSY PUBS IN GEMMAYZE MAIN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE CITIZEN, SAEED AL-MULLA, SAYING: “We had a very big problem, especially with thefts and the security situation was generally not very stable. We used to worry late at night when the generators would turn off at 12:30 a.m. or 12:45 a.m. We know it’s an exceptional situation in Lebanon but the street was very dark. Of course, we are very happy that there is light now and we hope it will slowly get better in the future.†VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING AS CARS PASS BY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEBANESE CITIZEN, MICHELINE KORDAHI, SAYING: “I am seeing more people now, really there’s more people walking on the street, you feel they are walking comfortably. Before, if I was walking on the street and would see someone approaching from afar, I would stop and wonder who that was, I would get scared, yes, especially given the situation we are living in, you get startled. Now, it’s fine, you walk and there is no fear, thankfully.†CARS PASSING IN AN ADJACENT STREET IN GEMMAYZE IN THE DARK DURING A POWER CUT PEOPLE WALKING IN THE DARK WITH THEIR PHONE LAMPS ON DURING A POWER CUT
- Embargoed: 15th June 2022 14:59
- Keywords: Beirut Lebanon crisis electricity power safety street lights
- Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON
- City: BEIRUT, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Middle East,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001197901062022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:A non-governmental organisation in Lebanon is taking it upon itself to try and bring life back to Beirut by powering traffic lights and street lamps, amid the government’s failure to solve acute electricity shortages that have left the city in traffic chaos and in the dark for most of the nights.
'Rebirth Beirut' was founded in 2020 following the massive Beirut port explosion, and has since been working on helping the capital’s residents through initiatives on the ground.
The local organisation has already installed a dozen of solar panels on traffic lights in Beirut neighborhoods, especially in areas most affected by the 2020 Beirut port blast.
It has also recently launched an initiative to light busy streets known for their nightlife scene - by collaborating with a petroleum company to give discounts for private generators who power street lamps around them.
Founder and president of 'Rebirth Beirut' explained the ideas behind those lighting projects came from the realization of how dangerous it is to drive or walk in Beirut at night.
“All together, hand in hand, we are able to succeed in this initiative of lighting up Beirut again. If we want to wait for the government, we might wait a long time and the idea is to light up Beirut again. Beirut is sad, Beirut has shut down so if we, the local community and the private sector, are able to light our city, we shouldn’t wait, we should light it up ourselves," Fernaine said.
And while dark still prevails in many streets in Beirut and Lebanon, citizens noticed an increase in bustle and commotion in the areas 'Rebirth Beirut' has lit up.
Maria al-Sammak described it as a "real rebirth" for the neighborhood, and said she feels much safer now that the main street of Gemmayze, a popular pub street frequented by Lebanese youth, is illuminated.
“I was honestly scared of walking on the street because one couldn’t see and you didn’t feel like you were in a safe environment. Even as women, obviously it’s always more of a challenge, a bigger challenge, because there is a risk of getting assaulted. Of course, now that there are lights, you feel that it is safer, and at the same time you feel like it is more alive," Sammak said.
Another initiative 'Rebirth Beirut' works on is called “cover up a pothole†whereby sponsors would fund the repair of a chosen number of potholes across Beirut in an attempt to improve the dilapidated state of the city’s streets.
(Production: Mohamed Azakir, Maria Semerdjian, Yara Abi Nader, Maya Saad) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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