Project Spotlight : Nation Station (Beirut)
The partnership between Nation Station and Playfair Consultancy Group is devoted to remedying the problems of underdeveloped publicity and low funding in order to make a more profound impact on crisis stricken communities of Beirut.
Client Summary: Nation Station (Beirut)
“Empowerment over Charity” encapsulates the mission of Nation Station, who strive to make systemic change by increasing the resilience and capabilities of vulnerable individuals and communities.
When a group of friends mobilised in response to the Beirut Blast of August,2020 and began distributing relief material at a gas station, the seeds of the organization which would evolve into Nation Station as it is today were sown. The spontaneous distribution of supplies was the first step in the ensuing systematic efforts through the formation of a relief centre providing food and medical supplies to the neighbourhood as well as sealing homes. After the nascent phase of its operations, Nation Station is now expanding the scope of its project. It envisions itself as a ‘self-sustainable community hub’ and is in a transitional stage as it strives to embody this vision.
Nation Station endorses and practices ‘empowerment over charity.’ Their relief efforts encompass a wide range of areas, such as Medical Assistance, Reconstruction of Homes, Community Kitchens, and Community Building. Nation Stations medical department served the community during the direst shortage of medicinal goods the country has ever witnessed. They not only provided medicines to people for immediate relief but continued to ensure their health improves through their workshops and consultations. The home reconstruction endeavours by nation station aimed not only to restore the physical façade, but to “replenish the livelihood of the neighbourhood by preserving its architectural identity”. Community Kitchens established by them and operated by the people of the neighbourhood strengthen the food security of the people. Their community building programs imbue their operations with a wholistic character. Nation Station recognises there are no quick panaceas to the problems faced by the community. They not only provide immediate relief, but through their community building agenda they device long term, self-sustaining solutions to the issues plaguing the neighbourhood. Their operations champion self-sufficiency because they search within the affected community for means to assist those who have been rendered vulnerable. They work to make the members of the affected community more resilient, and to grant them more agency over the rebuilding of their neighbourhood. They are made active participants in the process of their community development.
Playfair Consultancy Group’s Role: Strategising Greater Reach and Revenue Generation
Nation Station has joined hands with Playfair to address the problems which are hindering their progress. Increasing their online presence and impact is of utmost urgency for them, because this plays a decisive role in the donations and support they receive. They aim to increase the virtual visibility of their high impact projects . Creating an e-commerce platform for local food and artisanal producers, and radio/podcasting platform, are some of the online provisions they want to make available for the communities they work with. They are working with Playfair Consultancy Group to build an effective social media strategy to meet these needs.
While Nation Station seeks to empower community members to be self-sufficient, they must also provide for those who have been rendered incapable of doing so. There are approximately 300 such households who require direct assistance. In order to ensure that aid is continually given to these households, Nation Station is trying to create income streams by producing local artisanal and food products. They require market research consulting services to assess where and how this would be viable. The development of a fundraising strategy is another vital goal that Nation Station is trying to achieve through collaboration with PLayfair. Nation Station has made a commitment to forgo cash transactions entirely in order to maintain the highest degree of transparency and uphold their anti-corruption ethos. This commendable belief is a constraint that must be considered while formulating a fundraising strategy.
This is how Playfair Consultancy Group is working with Nation Station to enable them to better empower and serve vulnerable communities.
