Launching of “Maharat Li Loubnan 2” project, sustained support towards vulnerable populations in Lebanon
Beirut – June 2021 – Over 3 years, the IECD, AFD, and Semeurs d’Avenir, will empower over 1,165 disadvantaged people through short and long training courses and 550 entrepreneurs by providing multidimensional support. The “Maharat Li Loubnan 2” (Skills for Lebanon 2) project aims to extend the positive impacts of the previous project implemented since 2017 by addressing the multiple crises that Lebanon is currently experiencing.
On June 7, the IECD and the French Development Agency (AFD), in partnership with a Lebanese NGO, Semeurs d’Avenir, and under the high patronage of the French Ambassador to Lebanon, H.E. Mrs. Anne Grillo, officially launched “Maharat Li Loubnan 2”, a vocational training and entrepreneurship project for populations at risk affected by the crises at the national center for technical training in Dekwaneh.
Thanks to the 5M euros grant by the AFD, the IECD, and Semeurs d’Avenir will implement the three-year project to support the vulnerable Lebanese, refugees, and small entrepreneurs. The project further affirms France’s continous support for Lebanon as explained by H.E. Ambassador Anne Grillo, “France supports youth in Lebanon by contributing to the development of their skills and accompanying them in their initiatives. The entrepreneurial energy and youth talents in Lebanon should be encouraged and harnessed in the local economy.”
Kamal Nahas, Secretary of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists
The Maharat Li Loubnan 2 project will empower 1,165 disadvantaged people, 50% of whom are women and 30% refugees, through short training courses in four regions: Beirut/Mount Lebanon, North, Bekaa, and South. It will also provide multidimensional support to 550 start-ups and small entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the project reinforces two long training courses, the Technical Baccalaureate in Industrial Maintenance and in Computer Programming, by aiding 8 technical schools and providing individualized coaching to six directors of these schools.
The project’s mission is at the core of the IECD’s actions. “IECD is more than ever convinced that vocational training and access to employment for young people are key factors for Lebanon’s development. We would like to thank AFD for its trust. This new partnership will allow us to reinforce our current programs and to open new ones that are closer to the work opportunities offered by this country and the needs of the Lebanese population,” explained Mr. Vianney Basse, operations director of IECD in Lebanon.
Thierry Liscia, Madam Ambassador of France Anne Grillo, Vianney Basse
Mr. Thierry Liscia, Deputy Director of AFD in Lebanon, stated that the joint venture between Semeurs d’Avenir and the IECD is a successful example of aid localization, “Lebanese civil societies organizations are on the front line in the field, in close contact with trainers, partner institutions, and beneficiaries for an efficient implementation. The education-vocational training-employment continuum is among AFD’s priorities as youth and the many entrepreneurs are key to the country’s future.”
This project wishes to enhance social cohesion by improving the beneficiaries’ professional integration prospects and promoting cooperation between people from different communities. It also aims to deconstruct stereotypes regarding women’s employment and entrepreneurship.
Eliya Wehbe, a beneficiary of the electricity training, explaining to the Ambassador of France Anne Grillo how this training is useful to him