Facing the rampant dispersion of affiliation as a result of a non-unified people in Lebanon, social organizations that aim to foster a solidarity amongst Arabs based on principles such as Palestine’s rights for freedom prove vital.
Kholoud Hammouch, teacher and initiative organizer, saw the importance of bringing together a like-minded group of people to birth the ‘ض’ Organization operating with The Arab National Youth and The Social Front.
“Being in the streets during the Lebanese protests made it abundantly clear that there lacks an awareness of the true Arab identity as many were being influenced by Western ideology. Thus, our organization was established as a response to that.” Hammouch went on to explain that the name of the organization itself utilized the letter that is only present in Arabic languages and hence was a point of commonality between them all.
The organization started operating from a center in Saida at the beginning of the COVID-19 spread in Lebanon during February of 2020. They first focused on helping offer personal protective equipment and sanitization around the area in hopes of allowing more individuals to be safe against the virus.
During Ramadan, the center hosted a kitchen as the dollar crisis worsened and were able to accomplish handing out 1000 warm meals a day with the help of volunteers working around the clock. Hammouch also explained that they are working on expanding their civil defense system as they possess two ambulances and a team of trained volunteers that were able to offer physical contribution after the August 4 port explosion.
On the humanitarian front, the organization has worked alongside the Center for Arab Research for book signings as well as creatively collaborated with the likes of Abed El Rahman Jasem. They also ran a ‘Dafa campaign’ for those in need during the winter, linked individuals in need of employment and medical help with the appropriate contacts, and hosted events for children such as Earth Day to keep them involved.
In addition to the aforementioned, Hammouch stressed the idea that educating the youth with nationalistic idealogies is of core importance. Through their social media pages, volunteers starting at the age of 14 manage content which aims to debunk western headlines and shed light on current news in Lebanon and Palestine that international media tends to avoid.
Zeina Hammoud, a social media manager volunteer at ض shared that in addition to focusing on Palestinian sufferring and helping amplify the Palestinian voice, they seek to celebrate their victories. Hammoud explained that when the resistance garnered a victory in Palestine, they organized checkpoints in Saida, Tripoli, Tyr, and Akkar where they played Palestinian anthems, handed out chocolates and waved the Palestinian flag.
When asked how the work done on Lebanese land helps aid the Palestinian cause, Hammouch stressed how exploitable our vulnerability as a scattered population can be to Western ideology.
“Our plan is to direct the youth towards the common enemy in the place of animosity focused on each other within, besides to teach people to fish and not simply hand them the end goal,” Hammouch summarized. For that, they are in the very near future launching a public library and cafe in Saida that would operate as a hub for individuals to exchange thoughts through teaching and learning.
Currently, and as the organization is expanding to other regions around Lebanon such as Akkar and Aabbassiyeh, the need for financial support is pressing. Zeina Hammoud explained that the manpower behind the organization aids in compensating for the scarcity of financial resources.
“We are a very dedicated bunch. We would sleep here if we could as it feels very familiar, like a second home.”