Nation Station Beirut - Disaster Relief - Lebanon

Nation Station is a grassroots initiative - by the community, for the community - free from religious or political affiliation. Our operation, which we run from an abandoned gas station in Geitawi, serves as a platform for young activists to launch sustainable development projects.

Update: To our dear supporters,

We had reached our initial funding goal, and were now forced to raise it. Why? 

One year has passed and we are still here. Not because we want to be, but because the continuous onslaught of tragedies and deteriorating economic situation has forced us to carry this responsibility for far longer than any of us had imagined. The following is a description of what has happened in the past year:

 

Nation Station has evolved from an emergency relief center to a community hub and is becoming a platform for sustainable development projects. Our guiding principle has become “Empowerment over Charity”; while we will always provide the most vulnerable members of the community with unconditional aid, it is our mission to make each of our projects sustainable through involvement, education, and community employment.

Nation Station is currently reshaping the neighborhood through diverse projects:

Our food security department - which provides warm, nutritious meals to 200 mainly elderly members of our community - will soon become self-sustaining by offering meals to the public for a fair price. The generated income will fund the meals of our beneficiaries, while simultaneously securing a small salary for local elderly women working in our community kitchen.


Our medical department – which cares for 350 chronic patients – is making healthcare accessible despite the rising prices of medical services and medicinal shortages plaguing the country. Our newly established micro-clinic also provides free consultation, scans, and tests, as well as psychosocial care for mental illness. The medical team is further empowering patients through awareness workshops and other forms of preventative healthcare.




Our reconstruction department – having completed the reconstruction and winter-proofing of around 140 households – will now be focusing on small-scale infrastructure, including lighting and renewable energy.

 

Our eco-sustainability department – which began with our recycling program – is now creating a green oasis at the center of Geitawi. This urban gardening project is not just spreading awareness and proving a concept, but also provides our community kitchen with fresh produce.

Our women’s empowerment department – the latest addition to our circular ecosystem of development projects – is set to create economic opportunities for disadvantaged women in the community through digital literacy and financial literacy workshops, as well as textile work. The women’s center will also be tackling the issues of GBV and period poverty.

As a data-driven organization, Nation Station continues to develop and grow, adapting to the needs of the community. Our close ties and trustful relationship with our beneficiaries, as well as our reliable fundament of data, puts us in a unique position to lead cooperations with other impactful education and employment initiatives such as our Learning Gardens or Tri-Pulley projects. 

In the absence of a functioning state, Nation Station is taking on a role that our corrupt, incompetent, and indifferent government has failed at. We are deeply grateful for every individual who honors us with their trust and solidarity. In the name of the entire community, we thank you for your continued support and encouragement!

Full transparency is one of Nation Station’s core values; our doors are always open! You can also stay up to date on our progress by following us on social media Instagram: @nationstation__  Facebook: @nationstationlb

Nation Station in Numbers

41,000+ hot meals distributed
1900+ aid kits distributed
1300+ houses assessed 
350 patients in chronic care
142 houses reconstructed
 

*(updated August 2021)

Nation Station's early beginnings - Disaster Relief 

Nation Station finds its roots in the first days following the disastrous explosion of the Port of Beirut. Hundreds of young volunteers came together to help those in need in any way possible. Nation Station quickly became a hub for volunteers, where they received equipement, materials, guidance and instructions. The volunteers were grouped and dispatched to heavily damaged households in order to provide emergency aid, clear rubble, or conduct assessments. Meetings were held daily to discuss possible improvements in processes, and to take collective, democratic decisions on further actions. 

Nation Station gradually and organically structured itself into a fully functional CSO, with dedicated teams, departments, and projects for each of the communities major needs. This dynamism is part of Nation Station's DNA; the Station continues to adapt and evolve with challenges of the ongoing crises, including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic (providing PPE, medication, and free tests), the Tlaytl explosion (equiping the hospital with missing ointments) or the ongoing power crisis (providing the neighborhood with emergency power).

 

Nation Station in the media

The project has received some media attention globally. The following links are to international news outlets. Further coverage will be added over time.

Germany

https://www.zdf.de/politik/auslandsjournal/libanon-im-griff-der-clans-102.html

https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/libanon-269.html

https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/nach-der-katastrophe-in-beirut-libanesen-nehmen-ihr-schicksal-selber-in-die-hand/26079166.html

https://www.fluter.de/beirut-aufbau-nach-explosion

USA
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion-volunteers.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/27/905811376/after-beirut-blast-lebanese-volunteers-deliver-relief-the-state-fails-to-provide

Italy
http://www.vita.it/it/article/2020/08/13/nation-station-lhub-dei-volontari-di-beirut/156400/

France
https://m.cheekmagazine.fr/societe/beyrouth-liban-nation-station-josephine-abou-abdo-femmes/?fbclid=IwAR3pM0w9ADVgCanhpbErOa-hB4q3WclA4N9M43y0LzuzeIov-sPH5dZMCOw



 
 Get in touch via email ( mailto:[email redacted] ) or find out more on our social media ( @nationstation__ on insta) or visit our website: www.nation-station.org (website under construction).