Over the past seven years, more than 5.5 million people have fled Syria, finding refuge in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and beyond. Neighboring Lebanon alone has welcomed about a million Syrian refugees for a total Lebanese population of 4.3 million. Life in Lebanon is a daily fight for the refugees, who find themselves with very little or no financial resources. About 70% of them live below the poverty line. This massive influx of refugees has created a great deal of tension and is threatening the internal balance of a country in which the institutional climate remains fragile. Essential public services are saturated and difficulties are increasing in the labor market (rise in unemployment, development of a black economy). Young refugees and young Lebanese are particularly affected.

The Maharat Li Loubnan project (Competences for Lebanon), entrusted to the IECD by the AFD over a 4-year period, aims to favor the employability of vulnerable Lebanese populations and refugees (especially young people and women). For this, it is focusing on training in developing professions. Indeed, the technical training system is unable to meet the needs of enterprises and the requirements for accessing these courses are not adapted to populations in extremely difficult situations. The Maharat Li Loubnan project aims to contribute to overcoming the structural and temporary difficulties of vocational training in Lebanon. Beyond a wish to offer young people the means to meet their needs and those of their families, the project aims to strengthen solidarity between communities and facilitate social harmony. It is deployed according to four lines of intervention