Lebanese Government

Ministry Of  Interior & Municipalities

Caza Of Bint Jbeil

Municipality Of Ain Ebel

General Overview

 

 

Village Name: Ain Ebel

Caza Name   : Bint Jbeil

Mouhafaza    : Nabatyeh

Municipality Address: Ain Ebel, Main Street, Municipality Bldg

Telefax: 07- 47 02 02

President of the municipality: Engineer Imad Khoury

Mobile : 03- 449 111

imadkhourysader [at] Gmail.com

1.   Geographical Facts

 

1.1           Location

    

          The village of Ain Ebel is located in the south of Lebanon , its average height is approx. 800 meter. The average distance is about 130 Km from the capital Beirut, 40 Km from the Mouhafazat Al Nabatyeh, and 6 Km from the village of Bint Jbeil.

 

1.2           Climate   

 

         The village climate enjoy a mild Mediterranean weather, agreeably cold in winter, hot but dry in summer. The average temperature is 16 degrees Celsius.

 

1.3           Topography

 

          The village is generally mountainous with lots of peaks, because the region is the extension of the Galilee Mountains. It has few valleys and some plateaus, usually called “ Marj”.

 

 

2.   Demographic Characteristics    

 

 

2.1           Registered, Resident and, seasonal Population

 

          The registered population of the village of Ain Ebel is about 10,500.The permanent residents are about 1,800 composing 17% of the total number of registered population. The number of seasonal population can reach up to 3800 during summer time, which can mount to a population of around 5500 during summer. To that, we can note the weekends visits of the university students coming from Beirut. The number of emigrants in the village is more than 5000.

 

 

The village population is divided as follows:

 

                       Permanent Residents         Seasonal Residents

 

Age from 6 to 12                           320                                  650

 

Age from 12 to 16                         210                                  430

 

Age from 16 to 21                         110                                  255

 

Age from 21 to 59                         910                                 1700

 

Age above 59                                250                                   465

 

 

 

2.2           Social structure

 

          The social structure of the village is traditional to modern, the role of the family is still strong and significant. There are strong inner family bonds, and between the villagers and their village (increase in population during summer time and during the harvesting of the olive).

 

 

2.3           The role of women

 

          Women are active partners in the economy activity, specially in harvesting olive and preparing oil, soap, and diary products. Women are also active in cultivating tobacco which is typically a family endeavor.

          Women are also active in the educational sector and in a wide variety of jobs, such as vendors in shops, bank tellers and secretarial work, thus positively impacting the economic cycle. Moreover a cooperative of women was established in Ain Ebel in 2002 (Joint project between the YMCA and the Municipality) that deals with Agro-Industry. To that women in Ain Ebel are strongly active in social and sport activities.

 

 

2.4           The youth 

 

          The number of youth in the village is as shown in the table above, they play a major role in the social and sports activities , the main problem they have is the lack of university colleges in the region and the lack of activities to do after school time (sport activities, entertainment centers, libraries, etc…). It’s worth noting that the educational levels attained by a very large number of the population whether in universities in Beirut or abroad are rather high, and keep strong ties with the homeland.

          The youth is a labor power that should not be ignored neither issues related to them .

          The youth of Ain Ebel are very active they have already established the UNDP Youth Club, Caritas Youth Club, and an organization under the name of AWFA , all working in the social and sports activities. To that the scout of Ain Ebel has been active for more than 45 years in similar activities.

          The youth gain a high level of education from the main school related to the sisters coven of the sacred heart, this school was established since 126 years and  has 750 registered students in 2006 at all levels. 

 

 

2.5           Immigration

 

         The immigration of the village of Ain Ebel can reach approx. 50% of the population which amount to approx. 5000.

          The local residents yielded to immigration outside the country and /or migration to Beirut and its suburb to solve their multifaceted social, economical, educational  and health care conditions.

          The immigration population is both large in size and status and is spread in countries around the world.

 

 

          Immigrants play a major role in supporting their families, and relatives in the village.

          The number of migrants in Ain Ebel can reach approx. 33% of the population.

 

 

3.     Family income in the village

 

 3.1  Source of income

 

    The sources of income in the village can vary according to the following:

 

 

1-        13% revenues from agricultural lands

2-        7 %   agricultural labor working force

3-        10 %  none agricultural labor force ( carpenter, builders, etc…)

4-        18%  revenues from small commerce, shops, and industries

5-        12%  revenues from the private sector ( banks, hospitals, insurance, etc…)

6-        7% revenues from syndicated people ( engineers, lawyers, doctors)

7-        10% revenues from the public sector

8-        2%   military personnel

9-        17% civilian workers at the UNIFEL headquarter in Naqoura

10- 4%   different income

 

 

3.2           Average family monthly income

 

1-      less than US$ 300, 200 family

2-      between US$300 and US$ 600, 170 family

3-      above US$ 600, 90 family

 

 

4.    The Economic Situation

 

4.1           Natural Resources

 

·       Land

 

                The total area of the village of Ain Ebel is approx. 900HA.

                While the cultivated area can reach around 22% of the total area

                ( 180 Ha).

                Agriculture is the backbone of the local economy during the past years,                                                       

                However, the low income returns of this sector contributed to people

                Switching to other sectors and to internal migration  and/or immigration.

               Our land is still not surveyed by the relevant authorities causing           problem in issues related to inheritance, boundaries, and the transaction of    the property.

 

·                        Forest 

 

          Forest occupy an area that does not exceed 5% of the total area of the village. These forests are mainly composed of oak and pine trees.

 

·                        Agriculture

 

          As shown before on 13% of the local cultivators depend fully on the agriculture for income, while the remaining majority relies partially on the agriculture for household returns.

          The main cultivated crop in Ain Ebel is olive trees ( approx. 55,000 tree), which can generate more than 200,000 liters of olive oil by yearly.

          The tobacco is the second cultivated crop in the village with a production of  approx. 45 Tons.

          Vegetables, cereals, fruits and organic agriculture are starting to become    more in use.

 

 

·                        Animal Products and Livestock

 

           Dairy products are of a great importance in the village with approx.

           more than 55 milk cows, 2500 sheep, to that honey also is present

           with more than 225 bee colonies, to that we have more than 2500

           meat chicken, and 2700 egg chicken.

 

·                        Agro Industries

 

           This industry is based on what the cultivator produces. It

            includes   conservatives such as jams, pickles, dried fruits,

            burghul, kushk, dried oregan, dairy products. These are mostly home

            made industry except for an agro industry plant managed by

            an agro agricultural cooperation.( the women organization for agro-    industry)

4.2           Small and Medium Size Industries

 

         Industries and small craft enterprises deal with ironwork, woodwork

          Textiles, construction, and small food industry.

          These industries are mainly related to the construction sector.

 

4.3           Commerce

   

          Commerce doesn’t play a major role in the economy of the village,

          except for small shops ( approx. 50 shops).

 

4.4           Tourism

 

The village is well known for it beautiful geographical location, it is rich with oak, pine and olive trees. It is well known to be a center of attraction for the area because of the presence of many restaurant, night clubs, coffee shops, sports facilities( needs rehabilitation) and specially it’s yearly summer festivals with an attendance of more than 20,000 ( during a week period) from most of south villages.

For the village of Ain Ebel if invested in tourism, it can be the second supporting sector in the economy.

 

   5.     Health Services

     

5.1           Hospitals

 

There is only one hospital in the region of Bint Jbeil, it provides few medical services. This hospital is not well equipped nor it has a good personnel or management  to cover the basic health care  needs of the region.

Concerning Ain Ebel and the surrounding villages, the Maronite Archbishopric of  Tyre started the project of building a hospital in the village of Ain Ebel to support the villagers of the region stay in their lands.

The first phase of the project which consists of a social and health care center started functioning on the 20^th of January 2006, but the project still needs an increase in its capacity and lots of equipment to meet the medical needs required.

The health care service is one of the major and crucial issues that our villagers need, to stay in their homeland. For that reason, finalizing the dream project of having a well equipped hospital in Ain Ebel is of great importance.  

5.2           Dispensaries

 

In addition to education, the sisters of the sacred heart provide medical support for the villagers of Ain Ebel through their dispensary.

The role of the dispensary was very  important during the past years and specially during the war and the bad times, but can’t at any level be sufficient for the basic health service needs of the villagers.

   6.      The Damage Inflicted by the July 2006 war

 

        The village of Ain Ebel was badly heat during the July war 2006, more than  385 homes were damaged 30% of which were severely damaged or destructed. An old man was killed because of the lack of medical care and 8 were injured, and more than 25 cars were destroyed.

          80% of the animal dairy products and livestock were killed and destroyed. More than 6000 olive tree were totally damaged relatively with their land, most of the tobacco crops were damaged too. The  225 bee colonies were totally damaged.

 

          To that the summer season, with all its positive economical impact on the village was lost.

 

          Most of the infrastructure of the town was either partially or totally damaged, from the electrical power supply cables, to the telecommunication, to the roads.

 

          During the 2^nd week of the war 1500 people left the village to Beirut and the suburbs, and stayed at their relatives till the day of the cease fire.

 

          The average cost of the reconstruction of the village exceeds : $1,750,000 for the homes reconstruction,$ 300,000 for animal dairy products and livestock, $ 700,000 in agriculture, $ 45,000 for bee colonies, and an average of $ 350,000 lost income from the summer season.

 

           The average cost of the infrastructure reconstruction is approx. $ 450,000

 

          To that we have to keep in mind that most of the families spent and will spend their savings if they had any, during the war and the recovery period which will last for more than a year.