About
We are residents that live in the neighborhood between St. Georges and Geitawi hospitals and are volunteering to take part in improving our community.
We hope that together we can make a difference. We want to live in a cleaner, greener, and happier neighborhood. We also want to take care of one of the unique public spaces in Beirut, the Jesuit Public Garden, and leave a legacy for the next generation.
In 2021, we began partnering with Assabil Association (public library located in the Jesuit Garden) and together we were awarded a small fund* to launch our initiative and start our activities. Our activities are focused on what people in the community want to do and led by residents. Although most of the activities are free, we to have a few revenue generating activities in order to be sustainable, like a regular market.
*SEE Change is a funded by EUTF-MADAD for the support of social enterprise projects
We aim to grow not only in numbers of community members that would like to take part but also partner with local businesses and NGOs. We hope to rejuvenate the public spaces in the neighborhood, connect more with other residents and even spark economic growth for home-based and local businesses.
We collaborate with individuals, groups, and associations that want to improve the neighborhood and support the community. Liqaa is open to anyone that wants to join and share in our mission regardless of gender, ethnicity, political affiliation, or religion. Hate speech and bullying is not tolerated.
Mission
The Jesuit Garden Neighborhood Gathering (Liqaa) has come together because of our collective interest in our community. We wish to improve the lives of people and businesses in the neighborhood and take care of our public spaces, especially the Jesuit Public Garden, one of the few green spaces in Beirut. Here we hope the community can reconnect to nature, connect to each other and feel a sense of ownership over public spaces.
- Improve quality of life (health, happiness, and well-being)
- Foster eco-sustainability
- Promote small local businesses
- Preserve cultural heritage
- Create a network of local initiatives
- Re-own, protect, and preserve the different public spaces
- Leave a legacy for future generations
VALUES: Community, participatory, inclusivity, transparency, preservation, innovation, education, environmentally conscious
History
The Jesuit Garden Neighborhood Gathering (Liqaa), a grassroots initiative, was born from a protest movement in 2013. It was initiated by active citizens living in the Geitawi neighborhood to protect the Jesuit Public Garden from development projects which would have disfigured it. During the 2019 revolution, residents started to meet more regularly, and organized the first community meeting or Sobhyeh in the garden. After a slowdown of the community dynamic following the COVID pandemic and the very heavy impact of the Port Blast in 2020, residents created a petition in 2021 to prevent another development project in the garden designed without different community voices. The resurgence of community engagement led to the establishment of Liqaa with the support of the SEE CHANGE fund, by COSV and OXFAM, in a partnership with Assabil Association, the public library located in the Jesuit Garden.
Annual Reports
Download our latest annual report