Makhzoumi Foundation

Some of the Development Program's main projects:

On going projects:
- Agro-Forestry Development Project of Degraded Lands of Lebanon:
This project aims at encouraging reforestation and includes a main nursery in Akkar/ Northern Lebanon, which produces trees and plants that are offered to municipalities, local NGOs, and communities countrywide.
- Civic Engagement
This Project aims at developing the combination of skills, knowledge and values in order to promote a quality of life in our communities.
- Craft Workshops
This project includes holding craft workshops that often aim at conveying the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) message to minimize household wastes.
- Environmental Education for Children
This project aims at increasing students’ knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, and at developing necessary skills and expertise to address those challenges.
- Yalla Nofroz – Let’s Sort Initiative
Makhzoumi Foundation launched an environmental initiative entitled “Let’s Sort…Let’s Start the First Step Together”, in collaboration with CEDAR-Environmental, on March 11, 2016, aiming at stimulating the neighborhoods of its centers to begin sorting solid wastes (the non-organic).
Previous projects:
- ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT to foster Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth in the Municipality of Irkay:
The action proposed to foster sustainable development and inclusive growth through the environmental improvement with the following three specific objectives:
To provide innovative services of renewable energy for environmental protection, to develop a basic disposition of children of care towards nature and to provide them with a green space, and to strengthen the role of environmental awareness in achieving sustainable development and empowering people.
The Project included activities such as installation of solar energy poles in the main places of the Municipality, establishment of a green area for children, holding training workshop on environmental education including climate change and sustainable development addressing teachers of primary and intermediate school, organization of environmental craft workshops for women among others. Students were also introduced to the GHG calculations and reduction initiatives.
- Regreen Lebanon and Preserve the Climate- 2007:
Celebrating the Mediterranean Action Day 2007 dedicated to Climate Change and the Mediterranean and also on the occasion of the National Tree Day in Lebanon, Makhzoumi Foundation supported by the Mediterranean Information Office (MIO) organized a project entitled Re-green Lebanon and Preserve the Climate of Our Planet in Sarafand, South Lebanon. The event was carried out in cooperation with the Greek NGO, Society for the Environment and Sustainability on Earth (SENSE), the Ministry of Education in Lebanon and the Lebanese NGO in Sarafand, Shoaa al Beeaa.
70 volunteer students who came from several schools in Beirut and Sarafand attended a presentation dealing with the topic of climate change and the importance of trees in reversing the present day worldwide danger of climatic changes. The presentation was followed by a tree planting event whereby all the participants cooperated in planting 400 saplings (poplar, mimosa, oleander, leucena and others) offered by Makhzoumi Foundation from its nursery in Akkar. Brochures about the importance of trees and the methods of planting them were distributed to all participants to spread awareness.
- Awareness Training on Solar Energy Application- 2008-2009:
The project aimed at raising awareness on the importance of renewable energy by spreading the principle of solar energy and emphasizing its role as an efficient and renewable source that could easily replace traditional ones.
174 science teachers of the 6th grade from both public and private schools in all the regions of the country were trained on new technical skills of solar energy. A training manual was designed and simple educational kits were developed to be used as teaching material that would support the official science curriculum. Each teacher received an educational kit in addition to a transcript of attendance. During the workshops, a Best Poster contest was announced to all the students of the schools that participated in this project and a prize distribution ceremony was held on June 17th 2009 for the winners.
- Climate Change and Biodiversity in Qannoubine- 2010:
Celebrating the Mediterranean Action Day 2010, which was dedicated to Climate Change and Biodiversity in the Mediterranean, Makhzoumi Foundation supported by the Mediterranean Information Office (MIO) organized a project entitled Climate Change and Biodiversity in Qannoubine Valley in North Lebanon. The project included a field visit 2010 to Quanoubine valley in Northern Lebanon with 45 participants.
The day started by an informative power point presentation where the natural reserves of Lebanon, the native plant and animal species, the importance of biodiversity and the effects of climate change were explained. The presentation was followed by a discussion about the topic then the specialist accompanied the group on a walk in the valley whereby she demonstrated the existing native plants to the participants and explained to them how climate change could affect the ecosystem balance. A manual about Climate Change and Biodiversity was prepared, translated and printed in English and Arabic; it was distributed to all participants during the visit.
Photos and video-tapes of the site and several plants were taken by a photographer and were used along with other educational data for preparing a short documentary video by an expert that was uploaded on the websites of Makhzoumi Foundation and MIO-ECSDE as well as the manual.

- Youth Exchange in the Mediterranean- 2010:
The Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) and 6 partners from the Mediterranean, took the initiative to address youth and introduce the YOUTH X CHANGE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN initiative and kit, as part of a global campaign on sustainable consumption. As a partner, Makhzoumi Foundation prepared and provided MIO-ECSDE with four case studies for the kit. The event was launched in Lebanon on November 2010, organized by Makhzoumi Foundation and MIO-ECSDE including a press conference and an experiential train-the-trainer seminar for youth associations and teachers.
Press Conference at the Press Syndicate on November 26th, 2010:
This event was the official launching of the YXC in Lebanon; it was addressed, primarily, to the relevant ministries of Education and Environment, local authorities, CSOs, NGOs and the media with 63 participants from those sectors.
Training event Saturday on November 27th, 2010:
This event was addressed to those involved with education and youth issues in the public and private schools such as teachers of primary and secondary level, youth leaders, university students, and NGOs carrying out educational projects with 72 participants.
- Youth in Sustainable Production and Consumption 2011:
The project “Youth…The Ultimate Player in Sustainable production and consumption” was implemented in cooperation with MIO-ECSDE within the framework of the Mediterranean Action Day 2011. The activity was a follow-up of the Youth X Change (YXC) in the Mediterranean initiative that addresses the youth community all over the world and that was launched in Lebanon in November 2010, jointly organized by MIO-ECSDE and Makhzoumi Foundation as the Lebanese partner.
The activity included the following: A survey targeting 406 young adults in different regions of the country reflecting their consumption behaviors; A documentary prepared including the results of the above survey as an introduction and portraying in photos and video films the conclusions and recommendations of each chapter of the YXC kit. A discussion session targeting several stakeholders from ministries, schools, universities, scouts and clubs was held on December 19th whereby the results of the survey and the documentary were presented. Brainstorming on the different uses of the video documentary was done and recommendations were provided.

- Youth Education on Sustainable Development- 2011:
This project included a workshop whereby the opening was attended by the Minister of  Education who gave a speech followed by a plenary session where Dr. Sulieman elaborated on the ESD package.
33 participants mostly school teachers and directors as well as NGO members attended the workshop. The participants were divided into 3 groups based on 3 dimensions: social, economic and environmental. On the second day, the sessions focused on the YXC kit and participants were divided into two rotating groups, From my habits to my values … and back and Breaking the Barriers.
The workshop aimed at introducing the UNESCO package Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future which includes training modules on the economical, social and environmental dimensions of education for sustainable development and applications in the educational systems, introducing the Package The Youth…Together towards Sustainable development which focuses on consumer behavioral patterns that limit the environmental degradation in the society, Involving students and youngsters in a number of activities associated with the development  goals  of  the  United  Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), such as tree planting. After the workshop, a tree planting activity was held in Deir Mkhalles where students planted 250 saplings offered by the nursery of Makhzoumi Foundation in Akkar.
-Marine Litter in the Mediterranean- 2012:
As part of the MIO-ECSDE’s annual activity entitled the Mediterranean Action Day (a joint, small/medium-scale action conducted in many Mediterranean countries during a three-month period each year), Makhzoumi Foundation submitted a project that included holding a shore cleansing event whereby a group of 15 young adult volunteers collected the marine debris on the shore of Antelias, then sorted and measured them. The event was preceded by an awareness lecture on the topic and its importance; the project was held in partnership with Mer Terre Liban, a Lebanese NGO concerned with environmental issues.
-Green Demonstration Room- 2013:
A memorandum of understanding was signed on September 23rd 2013 among the three partners: the Center of Research and Development (CERD), The Lebanon Green Building Council (LGBC) and Makhzoumi Foundation (MF) for the implementation of a project that includes the establishment of a “Green Demonstration Room” at the premises of the Center of Research and Development in Jounieh.
The main objectives of the Project are: to demonstrate the concept and principles of Green Buildings, to raise public awareness on the importance of energy efficiency, water conservation, pollution-reduction and other environmental issue to as many learners as possible of all ages and backgrounds, to encourage the use of renewable energy technologies, to train trainers of the Center and science teachers, to support the integration of Energy Efficiency in the official school curricula, to have an educational unit on green buildings for the young generations to come.