{"id":43634,"date":"2020-08-27T05:24:24","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T05:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=43634"},"modified":"2020-08-27T05:24:24","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T05:24:24","slug":"a-free-supermarket-offers-dignity-to-lebanons-most-vulnerable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=43634","title":{"rendered":"A free supermarket offers dignity to Lebanon\u2019s most vulnerable"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\nDUBAI: Beit El Baraka, which means \u201chouse of blessings\u201d in Arabic, is a nonprofit organization in Beirut that is living up to its name in a time of crisis.<\/p>\n

\nIt was launched by Maya Chams Ibrahimchah last year to offer a helping hand to elderly and retired people abandoned by the state. More recently, it has been providing a lifeline to cash-strapped families struggling to survive amid\u00a0Lebanon\u2019s economic collapse.<\/p>\n

\nBeit El Baraka chiefly operates through its free supermarket in the capital\u2019s Karm El-Zeitoun neighborhood. The store provides a friendly and accessible environment for the 1,012 people it serves each day. The August 4 explosions in Beirut, while causing temporary disruptions, having not dimmed the spirit\u00a0of altruism of the NGO\u2019s founder.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cTwo factors are important to us: dignity and security,\u201d said Ibrahimchah, a graduate of the American University of Beirut. \u201cWhen someone visits us, it\u2019s like entering a person\u2019s home. Usually, a home is a place where you feel safe. Your family is supposed to treat you with kindness, respect you as a citizen with rights, and support you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nA communications expert and heritage-preservation activist, Ibrahimchah said the decision to set up a charitable organization was sparked by distressing daily encounters with poverty resulting from failing, bankrupt government institutions caught in a perfect storm of crises.<\/p>\n

\nShe recalled the day she decided to do something. She met a women who had worked as a French teacher for 40 years, who had lost her home and was sitting in the street surrounded by her few remaining possessions: some suitcases and boxes of books.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHow can someone so educated just end up on the streets?\u201d asked Ibrahimchah. After finding shelter for the woman, she and the teacher spent time together and began to research Lebanese retirement laws and pension plans. They were dismayed to discover how little retirees receive as end-of-service benefits after many years of hard work.<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nAn International Monetary Fund report published in 2016 found Lebanon to be the only country in the Middle East and North Africa region that lacks a social security system for retirees from the private sector, who lose their benefits and health coverage when their service ends.<\/p>\n

\nThe country also has the highest percentage of people still working past the age of 65 to pay their bills as the cost of living keeps rising.<\/p>\n

\nAnother incident that left its mark on Ibrahimchah was a visit to an apartment where a couple lived by candlelight in the evenings because they had been without electricity for eight years.<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThese are things that you\u2019re not supposed to see in the 21st century,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just shameful, it shows a lack of dignity from our leaders.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe Lebanese people are educated, cultured and known for their resilience \u2014 they fall and rise again. We have 5,000 years of history in Lebanon and we\u2019re one of the oldest countries in the world. How can a country that has endured so much and become all that it\u2019s become be reduced to this level of misery?\u201d<\/p>\n

\nA woman on a mission, Ibrahimchah opened Beit El Baraka\u2019s free supermarket in February 2019. It works on a system based on points rather than money: younger retirees are encouraged to work with Beit El Baraka, interacting with others and gaining points by cooking, delivering food to the older beneficiaries, and offering assistance in their homes.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\nTHE<\/span>NUMBERS<\/h4>\n
\n
\n

\nLebanon’s economic crisis<\/h2>\n

\n– 190% rise in food costs in May compared with a year earlier.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n– 172% increase in clothing costs during the same period.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n– 80% loss in value of the Lebanese pound in recent weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\u201cIn this way we are building a community where people work,\u201d\u00a0Ibrahimchah said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to change the perception of poverty. The people that come to our shop look like you and me. They are not poor, they have been impoverished, which are two very different concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nMany elderly people in Lebanon have been neglected, leading some to attempt suicide, a problem that Ibrahimchah said is as \u201ctaboo\u201d in Lebanese society.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe were able to find a lot of them and we resolved their issues,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was very simple; they just needed to feel that their lives mattered. So, we make them work, no matter how old they are. They wake up in the morning with so much happiness because they have a task to do and other people to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThanks to contracts with some of Lebanon\u2019s biggest corporations, the shelves of Beit El Baraka\u2019s supermarket remain stocked with a wide range of food and products.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWhat was important for me was that people have freedom of choice,\u201d said Ibrahimchah, explaining the idea behind the store. \u201cWhen you tell someone to choose what they want, you\u2019re giving them freedom, which means you\u2019re giving them dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe environmentally friendly store does not use plastic bags; instead shoppers are given a large, reusable jute bag. They can choose from bread, eggs, rice, dairy products, canned food, cooking oil, locally grown fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry and household products, including sanitary items for women. Select chocolates and gluten-free foods are also available.<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nAlthough the supermarket was forced to close during the coronavirus lockdown, Beit El Baraka\u2019s volunteers ensured its beneficiaries did not go without. In partnership with the Lebanese Food Bank, they delivered boxes and bags packed with food and other items to the homes of clients. Face masks and hand sanitizers were also supplied.<\/p>\n

\nAs the economic crisis wreaks havoc on the lives of many in Lebanon, Ibrahimchah is focusing on helping the families in greatest need. In addition to operating the supermarket, Beit El Baraka\u2019s team also refurbishes homes and provides replacement furniture, and arranges medical treatment for people suffering from cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and other conditions.<\/p>\n

\nBeit El Baraka has expanded its operations in response to the sharp increase in demand for emergency assistance in the wake of the Beirut blast. Volunteers have set up a relief center in the capital and fanned out to different neighborhoods. Among its targets are raising\u00a0$3 million in donations and rehabilitation of more than 3,000 destroyed homes and shops.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
Beit El Baraka chiefly operates through its free supermarket in Beirut\u2019s Karm El-Zeitoun neighborhood. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\nFor a relatively young organization,\u00a0Beit El Baraka\u2019s achievements are impressive: 55 homes refurbished, 356 patients treated, 93 rents paid, 128 water and electricity bills paid. This has been done with the help of 25,712 donors and 212 young volunteers. The charity has also been endorsed by Google, Benevity and the Bill & Melissa Gates Foundation.<\/p>\n

\nAgriculture is at the heart of Beit El Baraka\u2019s undertakings. Ibrahimchah said that local crop cultivation falls far below its full potential in Lebanon. The country\u2019s soil is fertile and 64 percent of land is arable, yet studies show that agriculture contributes only 5 percent of the country\u2019s GDP, and more than 80 percent of food and beverages are imported.<\/p>\n

\nIbrahimchah said that a \u201cmiracle\u201d happened when a woman donated more than 250,000 square meters of land to Beit El Baraka. It is now being used as a sheep and chicken farm, producing dairy products, poultry meat and eggs that are stocked by the supermarket. Thanks to additional generous donations, the organization has been gifted more land on which to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
Beit El Baraka was launched by Maya Chams Ibrahimchah last year to offer a helping hand to elderly and retired people abandoned by the state. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\nAll of Beit El Baraka\u2019s activities are funded by donations from businesses and individuals around the world. As the organization grows and helps more people, it encounters a \u201cvicious circle\u201d of funding, said Ibrahimchah<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe more demand you have, the more you need funds,\u201d she said. \u201cThe more funds you get, the greater the demand becomes. It\u2019s important to highlight the fact that NGOs that are growing are not just growing financially; they\u2019re growing in terms of need too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe work of Beit El Baraka has touched the lives of 180,000 people in 62 parts of Lebanon so far. Despite the crippling economic crisis in the country, Ibrahimchah remains hopeful for the future of her people and, most of all, grateful for the meaningful friendships she has formed in the past two years.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe retirees that we help are our blessing,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have changed our lives and give us so much happiness. Today, I have 100,000 new friends and they have wonderful stories. You listen to them and they take you back to a time when Lebanon was the Lebanon that I wish I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n————————–<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\nTwitter: @artprojectdxb<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUBAI: Beit El Baraka, which means \u201chouse of blessings\u201d in Arabic, is a nonprofit organization in Beirut that is living up to its name in a time of crisis. It was launched by Maya Chams Ibrahimchah last year to offer a helping hand to elderly and retired people abandoned by the state. More recently, it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}