In the corridor of the accommodation center set up by the Offre Joie association, at La Quarantaine, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)
As you approach Beirut from the northern highway and enter Karantina, traffic is bustling. CMA-CGM trucks navigate the roads, and massive cranes in the distance unload container ships. In this part of the capital, life seems to have resumed its rhythm. Only the hum of drones hints at the nearby war. Here, however, the conflict is reshaping the urban landscape in a different way. Along narrow streets leading to the port, amidst wild vegetation and deserted industrial sites, a new element has emerged.Behind a metal gate that opens to an inner courtyard, children play under the watchful eyes of security officers at the entrance, while elders gather and chat. ‘Flora,’ a new center established by Offre Joie, now occupies a series of abandoned warehouses. Since early this month, it has provided shelter to thousands displaced from Beirut's...
As you approach Beirut from the northern highway and enter Karantina, traffic is bustling. CMA-CGM trucks navigate the roads, and massive cranes in the distance unload container ships. In this part of the capital, life seems to have resumed its rhythm. Only the hum of drones hints at the nearby war. Here, however, the conflict is reshaping the urban landscape in a different way. Along narrow streets leading to the port, amidst wild vegetation and deserted industrial sites, a new element has emerged.Behind a metal gate that opens to an inner courtyard, children play under the watchful eyes of security officers at the entrance, while elders gather and chat. ‘Flora,’ a new center established by Offre Joie, now occupies a series of abandoned warehouses. Since early this month, it has provided shelter to thousands displaced from...
