Reference of Social Work In The Face of Crises and Disasters Booklets – Part Two
Researcher – Hiam Samaha KahiResearch Assistant – Aimee Ghanem
Another experience that deserves to be considered followed the displacement of Damour people and their arrival by sea in small boats to Kaslik beaches. Many associations and individuals rushed to shelter and assisted them, including the head of Rabieh municipality, Mrs. Nabila Fares, who was specialized in social affairs and had an active role in sheltering nearly 400 people in Rabieh Marine Resort, in Rabieh town in the Metn district. From what Mrs. Fares said when the families were received: “They have become our guests, and from now on they are our responsibility and we have to take care of them…”. She continued: “I’ve already set a plan in my mind, which was not difficult as it is in the core of my specialty of social work; however, the main point is the implementation.”
The workshop began, and a team of Rabieh residents who were ready to help was recruited. The Rabieh club was opened to receive the in-kind assistance supplies that were daily sent to Rabieh Marine Resort, where families were accommodated in particular rooms, and a list of residents’ names was posted on each room. Mrs. Fares said: “We organised life within the complex: a cooking team, a cleaning team and a team in charge of recreational and educational activities for children, and those roles were weekly rotated. The rules were applied to everyone in a thoughtful way, as respect of human dignity was one of our foremost principles at work.”
It is worth mentioning here that, in 1979, Mrs. Nabila Fares founded ACSAUVEL Association -“Civil Association for Safety of the Children in Lebanon”, which was the offspring of the above mentioned experience, as something specific had to be created for children, because they are the paramount victims in the absurd adult war. She is still managing it with honesty and sincerity.