Funding: Urgent Action Fund
Collaborators: Beirut Municipality
Building on our ongoing efforts to advocate for public space rights in Beirut, we launched a pilot advocacy programme that brought together older and younger women from the Karantina neighbourhood. The programme led to the establishment of Karantina’s women’s collective for public space rights, ‘My Happiness in My Park’.
The initiative provided a safe space for women from diverse backgrounds to come together, discuss challenges, and develop solutions for their shared public spaces.
We worked with 13 women from Karantina through a series of workshops designed to empower them to take an active role in managing Karantina park.
Creating a Sustainable Future for Karantina Park
The capacity-building workshops focused on conflict resolution and the role of caregivers, equipping women with valuable skills to navigate and address issues within their community. In addition, we conducted co-design workshops where the women collaborated to create a safe and supportive environment within the collective. They defined rules for maintaining a safe space and developed strategies to engage with various stakeholders for the reopening of Karantina Park, which had been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This closure was initially implemented by the government, which believed that shutting public parks could play a vital role in controlling the spread of the disease.
As part of the programme, the women also co-created a sustainability action plan to ensure the park’s ongoing activation and use by the collective, thereby securing its long-term impact on the community. Additionally, they co-designed their own logo and name, reinforcing their ownership and commitment to the initiative.
“For the first time in my life I am proud of an achievement that I am doing on my own. Being part of the women collective gave me a distinguished social status among my family and community.”
Programme Participant, Female, 44 Years Old
The collective successfully developed a one-year action plan for the park, outlining key activities and goals to ensure its future success. The women formed strong bonds within the collective, which enabled them to confidently present their action plan to the local authorities.
Their collaborative efforts culminated in receiving exclusive permission from the Governor of Beirut to officially reopen Karantina Park for public use. For over six months, they have been opening the park on a weekly basis. They mobilise, meet, resolve issues, engage community members to join them, and present their work to local NGOs and the press, fostering collaboration to maintain the sustainability of their efforts.
"We are opening the park, playing with the children and enjoying our time. We got this opportunity to do something meaningful for our community.”
Programme Participant, Female, 59 Years Old
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