Douris – The Gate to Baalbeck
Douris is a lovely village located approximately 3 km southwest of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley. With a population of approximately 14,000 inhabitants, Douris’ location is the entryway, or the “gate” to Baalbeck.
What I discovered about this lovely village is that its municipality is run as a team, headed by its captain, the Mayor himself, General @NazihNoujeim. Acharmingly personable and vigorous mayor, Noujeim works closely with a tight group of dedicated individuals and professionals in the Municipality of Douris. Notable to mention is Mr. Shafik Kassem Shehadi, Vice President of the Federation of Baalbeck Municipalities and member of the Municipality of Douris. Shehadi is also Chairman of the Municipal Works Committee, as well as Chairman of the Communication Committee at the Municipality of Douris. Side by side, Noujeim and Shehadi complement each other, through their expertise and dedication towards common goals, they share a united and inseparable front to undertake challenging and tough projects for the village.
Pushing Forward
During the Mayor’s mandate, several reform and developmental projects were launched to take Douris to the next level, such as implementing sewerage networks, paving of dirt roads throughout the village, and installing solar panels in the vicinity of the water well in order to extract the water through solar energy, to name a few. A ceremony honoring the official, civil and international organizations that supported Douris’ programs, projects and activities was also recently held.
What impressed me the most about Douris is its strong social media presence, spanning over various outlets by broadcasting activities and projects related to the village, across various media coverage. The municipality’s Facebook page is well maintained and updated with up to date and well-written, catchy articles that keep the village’s inhabitants as well as stakeholders constantly informed with progress on existing projects as well as announcements on upcoming ventures.
To publicize its day-to-day doings, Douris is building a relationship of transparency with its citizens, encouraging its supporters, and reinforcing its presence in the vicinity. I highly recommend that all the municipalities in the Bekaa region use Douris as a reference to initiate and actively engage in a social media presence.
I encourage you to visit Douris’ facebook page and I look forward to reading your feedback surrounding your thoughts on this subject.