From Crisis to Care: The Inspiring Journey of Choueifat's Youth
The Youth RESOLVE 2 project in Lebanon empowers youth like Louay to become leading actors in their communities. Louay and his fellow youth committee members in Choueifat worked on an initiative that benefited the community and boosted Louay's confidence: Installing 70 solar panels to provide water for over 25,000 individuals in the city of Choueifat. With this experience, Louay was committed to inspiring others and building a better future for the younger generations to come.
Lebanon
World Vision Lebanon
World Vision started operating in Lebanon in 1975 with the onset of the civil war. Today, we continue to assist Lebanese families and refugee communities through development projects, emergency relief, and advocacy in four areas (Beirut, Beqaa, North and South of Lebanon).
Lebanon has been assailed by compounded crises: economic, financial, COVID-19 and the Beirut explosion on August 4th, 2020 (described by international and local media as a “tragedy”) and most recently the displacement of families in Southern Lebanon in October 2023. The relocation of individuals in the southern region to seek refuge in schools or with their families in different areas has occurred. Despite this, a portion of the population stayed in the affected area, facing challenges with limited access to resources.
This situation has intensified the demand for necessities, spanning from food and education to hygiene, leading to disruptions in education. The ongoing financial crisis that started in October 2019 is overwhelming in terms of economic and social costs.
A shortage of foreign currency led to the Lebanese pound losing 90% of its value against the dollar on a newly emerged black market for the first time in two decades. Public debt to gross domestic product is the third highest in the world; businesses and jobs are disappearing, as poverty spirals out of control. Estimates reveal that more than 80% of the country’s population is now trapped in poverty.
These crises have severely affected communities’ access to basic services, lowering standards of living and threatening daily survival for Lebanese and Syrian refugees in Lebanon. It has also led to an increase in school dropouts, with an estimated 700,000 children out of school in Lebanon. This number is expected to be higher knowing that many families are unable to afford education-related expenses.
World Vision programmes in Lebanon are designed to strengthen a child-sensitive social protection system for vulnerable girls and boys, through evidence-based interventions in child protection, education, water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH), basic assistance and livelihoods. Through its Sponsorship programme, World Vision has around 18,000 children registered. We believe that we must work hard to prevent this devastating situation and provide the children of Lebanon with a brighter future. Every child has the right to be in school. And advocating for children’s right to education is our priority.
Our Impact
837,827
420,753
15,834
Our Areas of Focus
Education
World Vision Lebanon aims to improve access and quality of education so that children have the skills and knowledge to succeed through supporting:
• Enrolment in formal education
• Non-formal education through learning programs related to Early Childhood Education and Basic Literacy and Numeracy skill growth
• Homework and retention support
• Cash for Education
Basic Assistance and Livelihoods
World Vision Lebanon aims to improve economic opportunities for host and refugee communities, by focusing on:
• Food and Multipurpose cash assistance
• Cash for work assistance as temporary income generation
• Improved access to the labour market
• Support producers to improve production and access to markets
• Access to finance
Water, Hygiene and Sanitation
World Vision Lebanon seeks to address gaps in water infrastructure, basic sanita- tion facilities and hygiene, by focusing on:
• Humanitarian WASH (water distribution, construction of latrines, desludging etc.)
• Hygiene promotion and community mobilization (including Cholera)
• Support the water establishment and other institutions to strengthen infrastructure
• Strengthen water governance
Child Protection
World Vision Lebanon is committed to creating a protective environment that supports the well-being of children, by focusing on:
• Violence Against Children, specifically violent child discipline at home and in schools
• Child Labour especially the worst forms of child labour
• Mental Health and psychosocial well-being of children and caregivers
• Working with faith leaders and key community stakeholders to promote child protection