Psychosocial support

The Living of Al Karantina
 

The devastating explosion of Beirut Port on the 4th of August 2020 that has severely damaged entire neighborhoods and left many dead, injured and homeless people also caused major traumas across all social groups. This was even more present in Karantina area where the explosion also uncovered old traumas, reviving stories of mass deaths from the 1975-1990 civil war area, and the compounded crisis.

Following the explosion, UNDP is advocating for a people-centered recovery process, and as such is compelled to work towards an inclusive and just recovery that preserves human dignity and rights, and that leaves no one behind. To fully recover from the Blast, the mental health of all vulnerable groups impacted must be prioritized.

With German Embassy Beirut through KFW Development Bank and the technical support of Laban NGO, UNDP provided a safe and inclusive platform for people of Karantina through playback performances, documentation, and work on memorialization to heal the wounds of the blast and foster social cohesion among Karantina’s different groups. The process was sought to be a recovery journey that focuses on the physiological support for the people of Karantina including all nationalities, ethnicities , religions, and age groups.


During this journey, more than 547 people were targeted by Laban NGO playback theater performances, 254 youth were involved in the drama performances sessions, and 71 children were engaged in expressive arts sessions.

“It was a chance for a person to speak out his pain. This isn’t our first pain; we’ve seen that before and it had affected us too. We felt that there’s someone who cares about us and is trying his best to understand whatever it is we felt”, said Feryal El Hussein, a resident of Karantina, who actively joined the different   sessions organized by Laban NGO.

The residents’ stories were collected and transformed into a book and a memory box "The Living of Al Karantina". This initiative attempts to document and archive the oral history of the area from the Lebanese Civil War to the Beirut Port explosions, stemming from the principles of witnessing and historiography - two pillars of the peacebuilding process.

During the launching of the book and memory box, the residents of Karantina expressed that during this journey they felt and understood that they were not alone, they will not be forgotten , and that they matter.