Pauvreté et conditions socio‐économiques à Al‐Fayhâ’a

The population of Al-Fayhâ'a was estimated at 330,000 inhabitants in 2008, nearly a third of the population of North Lebanon, including 72% in Tripoli, 17% in Mina, 11% in Beddawi. It is located in the region of North Lebanon which suffers from many economic and social handicaps compared to other regions, especially the capital, and has the highest poverty rate in the Mouhafaza. The three municipalities themselves present a combination of worrying indicators, in terms of the population's income, the level of investment, education, health and social coverage, infrastructure and the environment. The main correlates of this poverty in Al-Fayhâ'a are the following: - High proportion of low-income households living below the poverty line as defined by DSS/UNDP - High real or hidden unemployment, especially in some neighborhoods, among women and youth - Forms of forced idleness aggravated by the small size of housing - Culture of poverty - Rural exodus of poor populations not economically absorbed - Lack of competitiveness of local companies - unfavorable environment due to the lack of dynamism of the major infrastructures of the agglomeration - precarious security situation - lack of innovation - need for supervision and development assistance - Lack of qualifications among young people, insufficient education - school drop-out and child labor, especially for boys - insufficient technical and vocational schools - under-qualified labor force which favors unemployment - Insufficient social protection mechanisms - failure of the State to provide social coverage, which leads to private and often charitable coverage of risks - health problems of the most vulnerable populations - deviant or risky behavior insufficiently covered - Very poor quality of life (in terms of buildings, infrastructures, degraded environment) - Densities too high in relation to the lifestyle in these neighborhoods (large household size, 5.2 on average in the Federation of Municipalities, 5.6 in Beddawi, 6.2 in Tebbané) - Poor quality of building materials (rapid degradation) and lack of infrastructures or often insufficient quality (sewers, drinking water, roads) - The accumulation of these problems linked to poverty in its multidimensional aspects makes it necessary to set up targeted actions, integrated in a global development project likely to reverse the process of socio-spatial fragmentation and to revitalize the agglomeration on the economic, social and cultural levels.