SUZAN ABU SAID

Beirut-52-year-old Fahda Jawhar has turned the Dahr Al-Maghar neighborhood, one of the neighborhoods of al-Qubba district of Tripoli, northern Lebanon, into a flower garden. In 2014, she started an aesthetic project in her neighborhood being distinguished from other neighborhoods of the district after planting flowers and plants. Her project now encourages other neighborhoods.

“We have changed our neighborhood”

Stating that they began to plant flowers to beautify their neighborhood, Fahda Jawhar said, “In the beginning, a group of university students came and carried out a project on the environment, civilization and the reuse of materials, they taught us the methods of recycling and agriculture. Then I remembered the small and narrow popular neighborhoods in Spain and Italy that resemble the neighborhoods of our country. The people of these neighborhoods planted flowers and trees to beautify their environments. So I thought why don’t we also beautify, improve and clean our neighborhood? I gathered the women and children in our neighborhood and began to plant flowers and trees.”

“If you work with determination, you can achieve many things”

Stating that they do their best to beautify their neighborhood without expecting any support from the state and municipality, Fahda Jawhar said, “We can create beautiful things from something simple. If you work with determination, you can achieve many things. The important thing is to decide and then implement the plan.”

“I earn a living for my family”

Underlining that she encourages her neighbors to help her in cleaning the street and collecting waste, she said, “No one has provided financial assistance to me. I have five daughters and a son. I earn a living for my family by making handicrafts and pomegranate juice.”

“Our neighborhood is known as the flower garden”

Indicating that she used to buy colored pots and grow different flowers in the neighborhood before the dollar exchange rate rose, Fahda Jawhar said, “Now, I make flower pots by using old car tires. Our neighborhood is known as the flower garden. I also grow edible plants such as onions, garlic, and peppers. We planted trees on August 4, 2020 in memory of those killed and injured in the Beirut port explosion. In addition, we have provided moral and financial support to hundreds of women.”