Tucked away in a narrow alleyway in Nabaa, one of Beirut’s most impoverished areas, is a 2‐story building which houses Ayadina Association. From the outside, it seems like any other building, but on the inside, it is the beating heart of the community, bringing together its members every day in a celebration of hope and potential.
It’s almost difficult to believe that Ayadina Association started off as a singlehanded effort many years ago. When Maya Najjar, Founder and President, saw the staggering challenges stacked against this underserved community, she began to help in any way she could, carrying food over to one house and medicine to another, going as far as her limited resources would take her. But her dedication soon inspired others, one hand led to another, and in 2004, Ayadina Association was officially registered as a non‐sectarian, non‐governmental organization, with a mission to develop the Nabaa/Sin El Fil community by addressing the needs of underprivileged youth and senior citizens.