{"id":13163,"date":"2024-11-11T22:10:45","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T22:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/al-quds-square-committee-for-goodness-and-giving-ongoing-work-for-the-people\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T18:51:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T18:51:06","slug":"al-quds-square-committee-for-goodness-and-giving-ongoing-work-for-the-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/al-quds-square-committee-for-goodness-and-giving-ongoing-work-for-the-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Al-Quds Square Committee for Goodness and Giving: Ongoing Work for the People."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The displaced people from the south did not only head to the shelters designated by the Municipality of Saida and the South Governorate in the city, but thousands of families also went to the homes of friends or hosts, in addition to renting apartments. <\/p>\n\n<p>In the Al-Quds Square area in the city of Saida, where about 500 families permanently reside, 115 families comprising 860 people were displaced there, according to a detailed census conducted by the Al-Quds Square Committee. This census covered both the incoming and hosting families. Some stayed with relatives or friends, while others had to rent apartments. This prompted the Al-Quds Square Committee to intervene with some landlords to reduce rent prices, reaching an agreement with some apartment owners to lower rent by about 25%. H.B., a displaced person from the Tyre area, said: \u201cWe must thank the neighborhood committee that managed to lower the rent, allowing us to stay longer until this war stops and we can return to our home.\u201d<br\/>The Al-Quds Square Committee submitted a list of 18 displaced families living in rented apartments to an international organization, which promised to provide a monthly rental assistance. The committee follows up on the matter daily.  <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><\/blockquote>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse w-quote\">In the Al-Quds Square area in the city of Saida, where about 500 families permanently reside, 115 families comprising 860 people were displaced there, according to a census conducted by the Al-Quds Square Committee.   <\/pre>\n\n<p>The head of the committee, Mohammad Al-Akaoui, said: \u201cAfter the number of displaced families increased, the committee coordinated with Al-Afaq Institute to house our people in the institute\u2019s rooms, which hosted 30 families comprising 160 people.\u201d At the beginning of the displacement, there was no mechanism for registering the displaced families who stayed in homes with the municipality or the governorate.<\/p>\n\n<p>Al-Akaoui said: \u201cThe neighborhood committee took the initiative to contact various associations, and we carried out different initiatives to provide living essentials, especially since many hosting families are already suffering from the economic collapse. Through our collective work in the committee, we were able to secure assistance to cover some essential needs.\u201d He added: \u201cFrom day one, we were able, through one generous association, to secure 150 mattresses, 150 blankets, 150 pillows, 150 food parcels, 150 cleaning kits, 150 ten-liter water gallons, and 150 bundles of bread. This aid was repeated by the same association three times in two weeks, enabling us to secure the minimum needs for our incoming families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p><br\/>This is not the limit of their efforts, as Al-Akaoui explained: \u201cThrough other associations, we were also able to secure similar quantities of accommodation essentials, food, and hygiene supplies.\u201d<br\/>When asked about Al-Afaq Institute, Al-Akaoui replied: \u201cWe had to use it as a shelter, equipping it and providing living essentials, as well as food and hygiene parcels for the families staying there.\u201d<br\/>He noted that \u201cMP Dr. Osama Saad visited the neighborhood recently, accompanied by an activist who listened to the efforts of the committee. This prompted him to secure 100 food parcels for the displaced families. Furthermore, one association is preparing to set up a kitchen to be run by a committee member, capable of preparing 200 hot meals daily. Additionally, one initiative leader requested a list of families\u2019 names to provide aid to them gradually.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How was this success achieved, and is it the result of today? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>The answer, according to Al-Akaoui, is that \u201cthe neighborhood has a committee of ten people\u2014six women and four men\u2014established nine years ago to handle the neighborhood\u2019s affairs. We have a comprehensive record of the resident families\u2019 situations, and there are about 80 underprivileged families in the neighborhood. We provide them with aid every Ramadan to help them during the holy month, and we also give them food parcels and other assistance we receive for the incoming families. Of course, we also try to help the hosting families. The committee\u2019s role is not limited to this; over the past two years, since the garbage collection and disposal crisis, we have adopted different measures to maintain the neighborhood\u2019s cleanliness and lighting. The committee sweeps the streets, prevents garbage dumping at building entrances, and helps find solutions to residents\u2019 problems. We also have a list of many families who contribute a monthly amount to cover the costs of garbage collection, street cleaning, and maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>Al-Akaoui concluded: \u201cThe ceiling of the committee\u2019s work is to help neighborhood residents, maintain cleanliness, and provide aid to everyone. Our hand is extended to anyone who wants to help, and the most important thing in our work is the transparency we apply in all our activities.\u201d It seems that the general situation in the country imposes on all neighborhood stakeholders the need to take the initiative to form such committees, which could be the foundation for broader municipal work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The displaced people from the south did not only head to the shelters designated by the Municipality of Saida and the South Governorate in the city, but thousands of families also went to the homes of friends or hosts, in addition to renting apartments. In the Al-Quds Square area in the city of Saida, where about 500 families permanently reside, 115 families comprising 860 people were displaced there, according to a detailed census conducted by the Al-Quds Square Committee. This census covered both the incoming and hosting families. Some stayed with relatives or friends, while others had to rent apartments. This prompted the Al-Quds Square Committee to intervene with some landlords to reduce rent prices, reaching an agreement with some apartment owners to lower rent by about 25%. H.B., a displaced person from the Tyre area, said: \u201cWe must thank the neighborhood committee that managed to lower the rent, allowing us to stay longer until this war stops and we can return to our home.\u201dThe Al-Quds Square Committee submitted a list of 18 displaced families living in rented apartments to an international organization, which promised to provide a monthly rental assistance. The committee follows up on the matter daily. In the Al-Quds Square area in the city of Saida, where about 500 families permanently reside, 115 families comprising 860 people were displaced there, according to a census conducted by the Al-Quds Square Committee. The head of the committee, Mohammad Al-Akaoui, said: \u201cAfter the number of displaced families increased, the committee coordinated with Al-Afaq Institute to house our people in the institute\u2019s rooms, which hosted 30 families comprising 160 people.\u201d At the beginning of the displacement, there was no mechanism for registering the displaced families who stayed in homes with the municipality or the governorate. Al-Akaoui said: \u201cThe neighborhood committee took the initiative to contact various associations, and we carried out different initiatives to provide living essentials, especially since many hosting families are already suffering from the economic collapse. Through our collective work in the committee, we were able to secure assistance to cover some essential needs.\u201d He added: \u201cFrom day one, we were able, through one generous association, to secure 150 mattresses, 150 blankets, 150 pillows, 150 food parcels, 150 cleaning kits, 150 ten-liter water gallons, and 150 bundles of bread. This aid was repeated by the same association three times in two weeks, enabling us to secure the minimum needs for our incoming families.\u201d This is not the limit of their efforts, as Al-Akaoui explained: \u201cThrough other associations, we were also able to secure similar quantities of accommodation essentials, food, and hygiene supplies.\u201dWhen asked about Al-Afaq Institute, Al-Akaoui replied: \u201cWe had to use it as a shelter, equipping it and providing living essentials, as well as food and hygiene parcels for the families staying there.\u201dHe noted that \u201cMP Dr. Osama Saad visited the neighborhood recently, accompanied by an activist who listened to the efforts of the committee. This prompted him to secure 100 food parcels for the displaced families. Furthermore, one association is preparing to set up a kitchen to be run by a committee member, capable of preparing 200 hot meals daily. Additionally, one initiative leader requested a list of families\u2019 names to provide aid to them gradually.\u201d How was this success achieved, and is it the result of today? The answer, according to Al-Akaoui, is that \u201cthe neighborhood has a committee of ten people\u2014six women and four men\u2014established nine years ago to handle the neighborhood\u2019s affairs. We have a comprehensive record of the resident families\u2019 situations, and there are about 80 underprivileged families in the neighborhood. We provide them with aid every Ramadan to help them during the holy month, and we also give them food parcels and other assistance we receive for the incoming families. Of course, we also try to help the hosting families. The committee\u2019s role is not limited to this; over the past two years, since the garbage collection and disposal crisis, we have adopted different measures to maintain the neighborhood\u2019s cleanliness and lighting. The committee sweeps the streets, prevents garbage dumping at building entrances, and helps find solutions to residents\u2019 problems. We also have a list of many families who contribute a monthly amount to cover the costs of garbage collection, street cleaning, and maintenance.\u201d Al-Akaoui concluded: \u201cThe ceiling of the committee\u2019s work is to help neighborhood residents, maintain cleanliness, and provide aid to everyone. Our hand is extended to anyone who wants to help, and the most important thing in our work is the transparency we apply in all our activities.\u201d It seems that the general situation in the country imposes on all neighborhood stakeholders the need to take the initiative to form such committees, which could be the foundation for broader municipal work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[354,370],"tags":[428,427,424,372,426,371,374,425],"class_list":["post-13163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-municipalities","category-youth-of-the-south","tag-2024-en","tag-saida-en","tag-activity-en","tag-citizenship-en","tag-displaced-persons","tag-lebanon-en-2","tag-youth-en","tag--en"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32.jpg",900,506,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32.jpg",900,506,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32.jpg",900,506,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"large":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32.jpg",900,506,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32.jpg",900,506,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/32.jpg",900,506,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"\u0648\u0641\u064a\u0642 \u0627\u0644\u0647\u0648\u0627\u0631\u064a","author_link":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/author\/wafiq-elhawary\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/category\/municipalities\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Municipalities<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/category\/youth-of-the-south\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Youth of the South<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"The displaced people from the south did not only head to the shelters designated by the Municipality of Saida and the South Governorate in the city, but thousands of families also went to the homes of friends or hosts, in addition to renting apartments. In the Al-Quds Square area in the city of Saida, where&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silatwassel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}