by mkw05 | Nov 19, 2023 | Dashboard, Visualization
We’ll explore how Lebanon’s unemployment rates compare with other Arab nations and discuss innovative strategies to address this challenge. Our focus is on understanding the current situation and proposing effective solutions for economic growth and stability.
The Problem of High Unemployment in Lebanon
- Lebanon’s Struggle: A markedly high unemployment rate compared to the wider Arab world.
- Comparative Statistics: Lebanon’s unemployment rate stands at 12.76% among those with advanced education, a stark contrast to Qatar’s 0.4%.
- Regional Perspective: Lebanon’s total unemployment rate of 8.6% amidst the Arab nations.
Proposed Solution:
Adapting to Industry Evolution through Training and Partnerships
- Skill Enhancement: Continuously update training programs to stay in sync with evolving industry demands.
- Certification and Recognition: Offer certification or accreditation for completed training programs.
- Access to Opportunities: Provide resources for job seekers to access these training opportunities.
- Collaboration with Industry: Establish partnerships with businesses to create internship and apprenticeship programs.
Detailed Solution Strategy:
Comprehensive Approaches to Address Unemployment
- Tailored Education: Implement education and training programs specifically designed to meet industry demands.
- Entrepreneurship and SME Support: Foster entrepreneurship and aid in small business development.
- Collaborative Efforts: Strengthen ties between educational institutions, government entities, and the private sector.
- Investment in Growth Industries: Focus on industries with high potential for job creation and economic impact.
Solution Validation:
- Benchmarking Success: Drawing insights from successful interventions in regions with similar challenges.
- Pilot Programs and Case Studies: Initiating tests to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies.
Conclusions and Recommendations:
- Multifaceted Approach: A combination of targeted education and training, entrepreneurial support, and strategic industry investments is recommended for Lebanon.
- Aiming for Economic Growth: This strategy aims to utilize Lebanon’s larger labor force effectively to bridge the unemployment gap and foster economic growth.
by saf29 | Nov 19, 2023 | Dashboard
In the heart of Lebanon, where the scent of history mingles with the bustling present, lies a narrative etched with resilience and aspirations. It’s a tale of the Lebanese labor force, a mosaic of diverse talents, aspirations, and educational backgrounds. Amidst the picturesque streets and vibrant markets, the educational landscape weaves a complex tapestry. Statistics reveal a poignant truth: three-quarters of working males navigate the intricacies of the professional realm armed with only basic education. This staggering statistic echoes the challenges and triumphs ingrained in the Lebanese society. Ali, a young man with dreams as expansive as the Mediterranean horizon, represents the embodiment of this statistic. His days begin before the sun graces the sky, navigating the narrow alleys on his way to work. With only a basic education tucked under his arm, Ali immerses himself in the realm of hard work and determination. Ali’s father, a seasoned artisan, passed on his trade secrets and skills, shaping Ali’s destiny. In a country where craftsmanship is revered, Ali’s hands create wonders—meticulously sculpting wood into elegant furniture pieces that narrate tales of tradition and craftsmanship.
Despite the absence of advanced degrees, Ali’s dedication and craftsmanship propel him forward. His creations not only adorn the homes of locals but also catch the attention of discerning eyes in far-off lands. His mastery speaks volumes, transcending the barriers imposed by limited educational qualifications. Yet, amidst Ali’s success, there exists a palpable yearning for more. His gaze often lingers on the doors of higher education institutions, where he envisions a path to further honing his skills and expanding his horizons. However, the constraints of time and financial obligations serve as formidable barriers, casting a shadow on his aspirations. But amidst these challenges, solutions emerge. Accessible vocational programs begin to flourish, offering specialized training to bridge educational gaps. Scholarships tailored for skilled individuals like Ali emerge, alleviating financial barriers to higher education. Flexible learning opportunities surface, allowing working individuals to pursue education without compromising their livelihoods. Industry-academia collaborations create specialized programs, aligning education with market demands, enhancing employability. Community mentorship programs blossom, showcasing alternative pathways to success beyond traditional academia. Government initiatives incentivize businesses to invest in employee education, fostering growth.
Males in Labor force with basic education are 40% more than females
To give a specific example, It is clear that Zahle District has limited number of Universities, thus limited options to Students and most of the universities are in Zahle City.
#Sustainable_development_goals, #Education, #Zahle_district, #SDG_4, #SDG_10
by jas46 | Nov 18, 2023 | Dashboard, Visualization
Every two minutes, a child is infected with HIV, and every five minutes, a child loses their life to HIV-related diseases.
Introduction:
Childhood HIV infection remains a global health crisis, with alarming statistics highlighting the urgency of addressing this silent struggle. While progress has been made, particularly in Africa, where the impact is most significant, challenges persist.
Global Overview:
In Africa, the number of children under 14 living with HIV reached its peak in 2007 at 2.1 million, dropping to 1.3 million. However, this reduction, though significant, is not sufficient, especially when considering that the current figure is still ten times higher than the number seen in the rest of the world. The Sub-Saharan region bears the brunt of this crisis, necessitating targeted interventions.
Transmission and Prevention:
Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) remains a primary mode of infection during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a key preventive measure, significantly reducing transmission rates. Advances in ART have transformed the prognosis for HIV-positive individuals, enabling longer and healthier lives and lower transmissions.
Impact of ART on New Infections:
The introduction of ART treatment for HIV+ pregnant women in Africa in 2000 led to a remarkable 74% reduction in the number of children newly infected with HIV, highlighting the efficacy of ART in preventing mother-to-child transmission.
Challenges in Access to Treatment:
Despite progress, access to ART for pregnant women in Africa has stagnated. In the past five years, only marginal improvement, with approximately 30% of pregnant women still untreated throughout their pregnancies. Identifying barriers to treatment access and the need for targeted interventions.
Conclusion:
The strides made in reducing new HIV infections among children through ART are commendable, yet the battle is far from over. Focused efforts are required to address the persistent challenges in ensuring that all HIV-positive pregnant women in Africa have access to life-saving treatments such as:
- Scale up access to ART for pregnant women by increasing medication availability and addressing logistical challenges.
- Conduct comprehensive community education campaigns to raise awareness about HIV testing, treatment, and prevention, with a focus on dispelling myths and reducing stigma.
- Integrate HIV testing and treatment services into routine maternal and child healthcare to ensure consistent and timely care for pregnant women.
The urgency of this mission cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts the innocence and lives of countless children at risk of falling victim to this silent epidemic.
by csc04 | Nov 18, 2023 | Dashboard
In the middle of European crisis, a silent re-alignment of two emerging Asian giants is taking shape. This would force major changes in world politics and strategic scenarios.
For those who didn’t hear about it before, Spice route is actually the name of the historic road that was used to transport Indian spices and spices products to ME, Africa and Europe.
Similar to its rival, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) (aka Silk Road) led by China, the Spice Route (aka IMEC: India-Middle East-Europe Corridor) aims to establish an economic corridor connecting India to Europe via West Asia through a network of sea and rail links. One of the main objectives is to bring economic benefits, prosperity and growth to countries along this route. Aligned with the ambitious economic corridor goals announced at the G20 in September 2023, this initiative seeks to contribute to the UN’s Vision 2030 by achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16.
Contrary to expectations, the same objectives were announced for the Silk Road. However, upon closer examination of each country along this corridor, it becomes evident that, rather than achieving the goal of significantly reducing violence and related death rates (Target 16.1), the region has witnessed an escalation in conflicts. Conflict-related deaths per 100,000 populations (Indicator: 16.1.2) have notably risen over the past two decades. Ongoing and new violent conflicts globally pose a significant challenge to the achievement of SDG 16, with a quarter of humanity residing in conflict-affected areas.
Again, historically the data proves that instead of promoting sustainable development, there has been a concerning trend of increased military expenditures among the involved nations:
- As showing in the historical data, China has increased its military expenditure the most after 2006, followed by Russia, India and Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia & Iran has the highest military expenditure as % of general government expenditures
- Saudi Arabia & Iran, India and China has very high military expenditure as % of GDP in 2022
Having the impact of silk road in the back of our mind, do you think that the spice route will help the involved countries in achieving the desired sustainable development?
While aspiring for a peaceful corridor, the memory of the Beirut port blast remains fresh, prompting us to question the potential ramifications of the ambitious project announced during G20 summit. Additionally, the timing of events like the Armenia, Ukraine and lately Gaza wars raises concerns about the relation between economic initiatives and geopolitical tensions.
To meet SDG 16 by 2030, immediate action is imperative. The UN and its members, especially dominant regional and international players, must work collectively to restore trust, strengthen institutional capacities, and ensure justice for all. This collaborative effort is essential to facilitate transitions and drive sustainable development as announced at the G20 summit.
Read more about the topic:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/silk-route.asp
https://www.agbi.com/articles/india-middle-east-europe-corridor-to-revive-spice-route/
https://www.mei.edu/publications/geopolitical-and-geoeconomic-challenges-chinas-silk-road-strategy-middle-east
by rra65 | Nov 18, 2023 | Dashboard, Team Project, Visualization
In an era marked by a rapid exchange of information and digital connectivity, our attention spans have undergone a notable transformation. From an average of 150 seconds in 2004 to a mere 47 seconds in 2020, the ability to sustain focus has become a precious commodity. This shift carries far reaching implications, impacting not just our productivity but various facets of our lives. The ramifications of this decline are many such as decreased productivity, wasted time, disruptions to sleep, effects on mental health, and potential impacts on career opportunities.
In this blog, our focus will be directed towards concentration levels of university students in Lebanon. We will unfold the primary reason behind this decline and recommend a significant solution to address these challenges
Increase of social media users:
In a society dominated by social media and a tendency to immediately check notifications upon waking up, we’re confronted with a plethora of mental health challenges. Based on data from Statista, the percentage of social media users from total population has been gradually increasing since 2017 reaching over 4.59 billion users as of 2023, which accounts for 57% of the entire world’s population using various social media applications such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and Discord. Social media penetration, which represents the percentage of social media users per population, seems to be at a high in Lebanon with a value of 89.5% in 2023. This means that the majority of the Lebanese population is using social media. Such a high penetration rate implies that social media has become a significant part of daily life for a large portion of the Lebanese population
Repercussions of social media: High distraction rate
Given the increase in the use of social media apps, and the high social media penetration in Lebanon, we surveyed 280 responses to study the effect of social media on university students in Lebanon.
The survey line chart visualization represents the answers of 3 main questions which are in respect to the number of hours spent on social media:
- How often do you get distracted by Social media when you are busy doing something?
- How easily distracted are you?
- How frequently does your interest in daily activities fluctuate?
The above graph showed a positive correlation between between the amount of time students spend on social media and their likelihood of getting distracted. Those who dedicate more hours to social media tend to encounter increased levels of distraction. This heightened distraction, in turn, leads to fluctuations in their interest levels in various daily activities which includes studying.
Remedies: Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique is a technique involving taking intervals of time to study and rewarding yourself at the end of these intervals (25 minutes, 50 minutes). During the 25 minutes, individuals commit to completing their tasks and maximize their concentration by silencing/ turning off notifications, closing unnecessary tabs, and creating a study-friendly environment.
Rewards for completing a Pomodoro session come in the form of leisure time which is often spent on social media. This technique represents a form of delayed gratification that through routine makes it easier to focus on the task at hand. The technique is supported by the science of evolutionary biology which states that the human brain states in a state of alertness to avoid looming threats. Hence deactivating and reactivating the brain helps restart your body’s internal focus timer.
Pomodoro effectiveness
To prove the effectiveness of this technique, we conducted an experiment on a group of university students were we tracked the number of phone checking in 2 hours before and after using Pomodoro as well as the percentage of tasks they completed.
As we can tell by the bar graphs above , the number of times the students touched their phones without Pomodoro was significantly higher compared to using Pomodoro technique trials. Moreover, the percentage of tasks completed in 2 hours significantly increased after using Pomodoro technique in comparison to without it.
Our Solution: Pomodoro Prime App
A potential remedy for the problems caused by rising social media usage and shortening attention spans is our app’s creative features which utilizes the Pomodoro Technique. The apps features involve tabs to be chosen depending on what type of Pomodoro session a student would like to perform:
- Create an individual focus session with customized time intervals in which you can then periodically take breaks in between
- Join a Pomodoro session and connect with others studying with predefined time intervals that have periodic breaks in between.
In between these study sessions, there’s an option efficient break in which breaks that are commonly spent on YouTube mindlessly scrolling is now substitutable with options for stretching and meditation exercises during study sessions that will improve focus and calmness for better performance in the next sessions.
by yen03 | Nov 17, 2023 | Dashboard, Visualization
In the period from 2019 to 2022, Lebanon faced an unprecedented confluence of crises that tested the resilience of its people and the stability of its economy. This tumultuous period unfolded against the backdrop of the global pandemic, the devastating explosion at the Beirut port, and an already fragile political and economic landscape.
In 2019, Lebanon was already grappling with economic challenges, a weakening currency, and public discontent. Little did the nation know that a series of events would unfold, further exacerbating its struggles.
The Economic Downturn: The year 2019 witnessed a decline in Lebanon’s GDP growth, driven by a combination of economic mismanagement, political instability, and a growing public debt. The situation worsened in 2020 as the global COVID-19 pandemic took hold. The pandemic not only strained healthcare systems but also disrupted global supply chains, affecting trade and exacerbating Lebanon’s economic woes.
The Impact of COVID-19: As COVID-19 spread globally, Lebanon, like many nations, implemented strict lockdowns to curb the virus’s spread. However, these measures had a significant economic toll, particularly on sectors such as tourism, hospitality, and services. Unemployment rates surged as businesses struggled to stay afloat in the face of lockdowns and reduced consumer spending.
The Beirut Port Explosion: August 4, 2020, marked a tragic turning point for Lebanon. The explosion at the Beirut port sent shockwaves through the country, causing widespread devastation and loss of life. Beyond the immediate human toll, the explosion dealt a severe blow to the economy. The port, a vital economic hub, was decimated, disrupting trade and further straining an already fragile economy.
The Unemployment Crisis: As the GDP contracted, the unemployment rates, meticulously depicted in our Tableau visualizations, soared. The economic downturn, compounded by the pandemic and the port explosion, left countless Lebanese citizens without jobs. The barchart vividly illustrates the gender-specific impact, showcasing the challenges faced by both males and females in this turbulent period.
Solutions
Yet, in adversity lies the opportunity for resilience and recovery. As we examine the line chart depicting GDP growth, a glimmer of hope emerges. The chart illustrates a gradual increase in GDP in 2021, signaling a potential comeback.
To foster this recovery and bolster Lebanon’s economy, a multi-faceted approach is essential. Some potential solutions include:
- Economic Reforms: Implement comprehensive economic reforms to address fiscal challenges, improve governance, and attract foreign investment.
- Infrastructure Investment: Focus on rebuilding and modernizing infrastructure, including the reconstruction of the Beirut port, to stimulate economic activity and enhance trade capabilities.
- Support for Small Businesses: Provide targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to encourage entrepreneurship, create jobs, and revitalize local economies.
- International Aid and Collaboration: Seek international aid and collaborate with the global community to access financial assistance, technical expertise, and humanitarian support.
- Healthcare Investment: Invest in the healthcare sector to strengthen the country’s resilience to health crises, fostering a healthier workforce and more robust economic conditions.
As Lebanon charts its course towards recovery, these solutions offer a roadmap for rebuilding and fostering sustainable development. The line chart becomes a symbol of resilience, capturing not only the challenges faced but also the potential for renewal and progress.
Resilience and Hope: Despite these challenges, the people of Lebanon exhibited remarkable resilience. Communities came together to support one another, and NGOs and international aid played a crucial role in providing relief. The visual representation of GDP decline and rising unemployment underscores the urgency of addressing the socioeconomic impacts of crises.
Lebanon’s journey through these challenging years serves as a testament to the strength of its people. While the road to recovery is long and arduous, the collective spirit and determination of the Lebanese offer a glimmer of hope for a brighter future.
