ABOUT THE PRESENTATION (watch full presentation here)

In her presentation on Light Poverty in Lebanon, Cherine Saroufim sheds light on an often-overlooked issue that affects many communities around the world. Light poverty, the lack of access to adequate lighting, has many negative impacts on people's health, safety, and quality of life. In the case of Lebanon, light poverty has profound effects on people's ability to access medical care, education, and work opportunities.

Cherine Saroufim, an experienced lighting designer based in Beirut, provides a personal perspective on how light poverty affects her fellow Lebanese citizens. She describes the challenges that communities face in accessing basic necessities like lighting, and how these challenges are exacerbated by political and economic instability.

Throughout the presentation, Cherine highlights a range of initiatives and solutions that can help address light poverty in Lebanon and elsewhere. She emphasises that the issue requires collaboration from government, NGOs, and lighting professionals to ensure that everyone has access to adequate lighting. By illuminating the issue of light poverty, Cherine's presentation provides valuable insights into how lighting can impact social and economic inequality, and how we can work together to create positive change.

ABOUT CHERINE SAROUFIM

Cherine Saroufim is a member of the IALD and holds a Master in Interior Architecture from the Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts in Beirut, and a MFA in Lighting Design from Parsons The New School of Design, NY. Her Thesis: “Moucharabieh; a product derived from the reinterpretation of the Moucharabieh as a technique rather than an aesthetic” received the IESNA Thesis Price. This project was also presented during the first PLDC in London in 2007.

Since moving back from NY in 2007, Cherine incubated the Lighting Design department within IDEPCONSULT – Mounir Saroufim and Partners, a leading architecture house in Lebanon and Egypt. She has also been teaching lighting design in the schools of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape at ALBA. She has spoken at international conferences on numerous themes related to the lighting design field. Besides teaching, she is currently working on projects in Lebanon, Egypt, UAE and the State of Qatar.

Cherine is the Lebanese Ambassador for Women in Lighting Project and under her guidance, IDEPCONSULT ‘s lighting design department has won numerous Lighting Design awards on the local and international scene.

Cherine will be opening Season 2 of the VLD Community presentations with a very personal presentation under the Light for Social Inclusion banner about Light Poverty in Lebanon.

Lebanese people have a love-hate relationship with Light. They have been used to power shortages since as far back as of 1975 – the beginning of the civil war.

For them, having light is considered as a sign of wealth, but what happens when a country finds itself overnight in a situation of complete darkness?

All through the presentation, we will briefly look into the factors that led to this situation. We will examine the living conditions and challenges many Lebanese people must face on a daily basis. We will showcase the different initiatives led by the civil parties, local communities and NGOs that have contributed to rebuilding an easier life for the Lebanese People.

AVAILABLE ON PODCAST 🎧

Whether you're commuting, working out, or simply on the go, you can still immerse yourself in Philip’s background and insights by tuning in on popular podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY ✨