SOSI Brief

What We Do

Saida’s Observatory for Social Impact (SOSI) is a local non-governmental organization founded in 2017.

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In Lebanon’s fragmented territorial efforts, the need for systemization and mediation entities is increasing. SOSI’s objectives are to insure the protection of the city’s heritage through accurate and thorough documentation; to gain a comprehensive understanding of its social fabric, including residents, landlords, business owners, visitors, and their socio-economic strengths and weaknesses; and to use all the data above as a baseline from which to identify appropriate public sites for socio-cultural development benefiting the city and its stakeholders.

SOSI’s approach towards planning and development is based on collaborations with academic institutions, public entities, and donors to produce pilot projects that function as interventions in line with the strategic plan’s overall goal to upgrade the socio-economic character of the historic district. As part of this approach, the NGO occupies the position of consultant and mediator between the different parties involved in any given project. Each of these institutions would have an added value that is vital to the success of an intervention. The role of academic institutions, specifically their students and professors, is to produce a comprehensive and inclusive design strategy, to phase it, to test its structure and oversee its implementation. As for the public institutions and donor entities, their roles are to provide a project with the support, legitimacy, and the funds necessary for its implementation and operation.

In terms of data collection, SOSI aims to fill the gaps in its archives, to generate and host workshops and research projects to include collecting, analyzing, and producing official and updated data that will function as a baseline for any needs assessment and planning projects in the historic district.



Role

To preserve the cultural heritage of Saida’s historic district

In Lebanon’s fragmented territorial efforts, the need for systemization and mediation entities is increasing. SOSI’s objectives are to insure the protection of the city’s heritage through accurate and thorough documentation; to gain a comprehensive understanding of its social fabric, including residents, landlords, business owners, visitors, and their socio-economic strengths and weaknesses; and to use all the data above as a baseline from which to identify appropriate public sites for socio-cultural development benefiting the city and its stakeholders.

Role

Enhance its socio-economic position

SOSI’s approach towards planning and development is based on collaborations with academic institutions, public entities, and donors to produce pilot projects that function as interventions in line with the strategic plan’s overall goal to upgrade the socio-economic character of the historic district. As part of this approach, the NGO occupies the position of consultant and mediator between the different parties involved in any given project. Each of these institutions would have an added value that is vital to the success of an intervention. The role of academic institutions, specifically their students and professors, is to produce a comprehensive and inclusive design strategy, to phase it, to test its structure and oversee its implementation. As for the public institutions and donor entities, their roles are to provide a project with the support, legitimacy, and the funds necessary for its implementation and operation.

Roles

The NGO’s strategy to fulfill its objectives is centered on 3 main roles:

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Research and Documentation

Research, archiving and documentation of the historic district's continuously changing socio-economic, cultural, architectural and urban characteristics.

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Planning and Development

Planning and development of potential sites and projects for social and cultural growth

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Mediation and management

Mediation between and management of the stakeholders and institutions involved in each project to ensure a participatory approach to planning.

Meet the Team

SOSI aims towards an integrative approach of development that benefits from a multidisciplinary team of architects, urban planners, preservationists, graphic designers, and surveyors from Saida and Lebanon. Their knowledge and experience would be directed towards comprehensive development strategies and implementations.

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Ola Hariri

Founder

Ola graduated from the American University of Beirut in 2011 with a Bachelor of Architecture. After working at Bjarke Ingels Group for two years, she enrolled in Columbia University and completed a Masters degree in urban planning. In 2015, Ola took on a part-time lecturing position at the Lebanese American University. In 2017 she founded Saida’s Observatory for Social Impact.

Ayman Bouz

Co-Founder

Ayman graduated from the Lebanese University with a B.A in Law. He is working as an Attorney at Al-Arabia Law Firm. His previous experience working with with the Development for People and Nature Association (DPNA) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) – as Program Manager to Youth and Municipalities – has enriched his skills and expertise in Administrative, Commercial, and Corporate Law.

Hiba Huneini

Co-Founder

Hiba has a BA in law from Beirut Arab University (BAU), a BA in English Literature from the Lebanese University, and a Masters degree in Non-governmental Organizations Management from Sagesse University. She is the manager of youth and civic engagement program in Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development, and a development advisor to Saida Municipality. Hiba is the head of education and youth committee in the National Commission for Lebanese Women, and a writer in development issues in the Daily Star Newspaper.

Baisam Madi

Consulting Architect

Balsam graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelor of Architecture and minors in Engineering Management and Studio Arts. Her thesis focused on the role of architects, developers and end users in shaping contemporary Lebanese residential architecture. She later extended her research to the urban and regional scale through her MSc at Stuttgart University in Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design. Her role at SOSI builds on her experience in upgrading informal areas in Cairo as well as her study of complex development processes in Lebanon.

Ihab Al Zarif

Consulting Architect

Ihab graduated from the Beirut Arab University with a Bachelor of Architecture. Ihab’s experience as a senior architect covers a diversity of projects from residential to commercial in Lebanon and KSA. His experience on site as well as his interest in the socio-economic dynamic of Saida’s historic district has helped him in managing the beneficiaries’ interests and intersecting them with SOSI’s objectives.

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Become a volunteer

We are always on the lookout for motivated individuals who would like to volunteer their skills and time with us. As we adopt a multidisciplinary and integrated approach towards conserving Saida’s historic district and developing its socio-economic status through development interventions, we are open to volunteers from all backgrounds and ages. Volunteers specifically from urban planning and design, architecture and economics are particularly vital to our team.

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SUPPORT US

SOSI operates on contributions from organizations and private individuals who are interested in our cause. Donating can be done to help us sustain our administrative efforts or to accomplish projects under development, as well as initiate new development projects in Saida’s historic district.

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