Lebanon

A Study of the Prostitution A Study of Women Trafficking in Lebanon

L’ Orient-Le jour is an independent daily newspaper which appears in Lebanon in French language. It was born from the fusion of two newspapers: L'orient(founded in 1923) and le jour (founded in 1935)

Launching a national survey in collaboration with Ipsos and UNDP LEAP to understand why the lack of interest in politics is so widespread among women and what is the public perception about their role in public life; Gathering women leaders from different backgrounds to initiate public discussions, around conflicting or unifying subjects by using solid communication tools: mediation, non-violent speech, respect, political knowledge, etc. This initiative will reinforce the role of women in the consolidation of civil peace and their presence in negotiations and conflict resolution; Encouraging women and youth to take part in the next municipal and parliamentary elections; Elaborating tool kits to act against sexism (harassment, defamation, discrimination, political violence) and establishing a charter of good practices to measure the commitment of public and private institutions toward equality; Conferences about gender stereotypes

Maharat Foundation is an NGO founded in 2004 to monitor freedom of expression and its practices in Lebanon. Maharat acts as a watch dog to submit reports, indicators and alerts and lobby for the change in laws that limit freedom of expression.
MAHARAT is a member of IFEX.
Based on its strategic plan for 2012-1015, Maharat foundation will be working on the following:
Advocacy: to amplify and intensify advocacy actions for the freedom of expression and the organization of the media sector in Lebanon trough intensifying the media law reform campaign, Advocating for the abolition of prior censorship on cinema and theatre productions.
Training: to build the capacity of young journalists on human rights, peace building and media coverage.
Research and Resource Production: aim at: Creating knowledge, contributing in policy making, supporting the training program of Maharat

1- Constitution d'un réseau international d'experts dans les divers domaines relatifs à la conservation du patrimoine.
2- Formation à la préservation du patrimoine écrit à travers diverses initiatives (sessions- stages - séminaires).
3- Séminaires à thème sur la restauration des peintures mobiles.
4- Organisation de Colloques Internationaux sur la préservation du patrimoine.
5- Organisation d’expositions à thèmes au Liban et en Europe.
6- Sessions d'iconographie orientale
7- Diverses restaurations d'icônes, de tableaux votifs appartenant à des institutions religieuses ou à des privés.
8- Service conseil pour l'aménagement et la réhabilitation des sanctuaires.
9- Projet d'inventaire et de restauration des icônes au Liban et en Syrie, en collaboration avec un Comité d'experts internationaux.
10- Atelier d'art sacré (icônes-peintures murales- fresques- mosaïques-vitraux).
11- Coordination pour la réalisation de catalogues des manuscrits non catalogués.
12- Numérisation de divers ouvrages sur le patrimoine manuscrit et constitution d'une base de données.
13- Confection de boites de conservation

Organisation et participation à des expositions locales et internationales dont le Festival itinérant du livre de jeunesse, le Salon de Paris et la Foire du livre jeunesse de Bologne, Participation à plusieurs projets et colloques professionnels et interprofessionnels, Organisation de formations professionnelles aux métiers du livre et participation à plusieurs sessions de formations internationales Création, dans le cadre de l'Université Saint Joseph, du Master professionnel des métiers du livre Publication sémestrielle de Qiraat saghira, revue critique sur la littérature jeunesse libanaise et arabe et de brochures sur les auteurs, illustrateurs et editeurs jeunesse au Liban pour le Ministère de la culture. Projets en route: La Madrasa du conte pour la réhabilitation des traditions orales au Liban et dans le bassin méditerranéen Un Festival de la nouvelle Bande dessinée avec l'ambassade de france, d'italie et la Wallonie internationale Un site internet sur la littérature et l'édition jeunesse qui, à terme, sera un site pour la littérature générale au Liban et dans les pays arabes.

La Maison Internationale des Ecrivains à Beyrouth organise des rencontres littéraires annuelles autour d’un thème précis. Les quinze écrivains invités viendront de toutes les aires culturelles et linguistiques (Europe, Asie, Monde arabe, Extrême-Orient, Amériques du Nord et du Sud, Océanie) en fonction des thèmes choisis. Les deux journées se dérouleront au printemps. Elles s’organiseront autour d’une série de dix séances consacrées chacune à un ou deux écrivains et animées par des modérateurs. Les modérateurs seront des professeurs ou des journalistes littéraires. Une traduction simultanée en trois langues (arabe, français, anglais) sera assurée à chaque séance. Le dialogue avec l’écrivain sera accompagné d’une projection ou d’une brève lecture par des comédiens. La revue contenant des textes inédits des auteurs conviés, dans leur langue originale suivis de leur traduction en arabe, français et anglais, sera vendue dans l’espace librairie qui proposera également les ouvrages des invités.

Below is an overview of our work:
Ahwaa: Serving the Arab LGBT community
Ahwaa is a bilingual discussion platform for the LGBT community in the Arab world that leverages game mechanics to facilitate high-quality interaction. Its unique functionality provides a fun and easy way to share stories, request advice, and seek solidarity.
CrowdVoice.org: Harnessing the power of crowdsourced media to contextualize social movements throughout the world.
Migrant-Rights.org: Advocating and promoting awareness on migrant issues across the GCC and wider Middle East. Migrant-Rights.org (MR) is the Middle East's foremost platform dedicated to advancing rights of migrant workers. Currently focusing primarily on the GCC countries and their corridors of migration, MR bridges the spectrum of the region’s otherwise self-contained stakeholders by producing resources for citizens, academics, media, local civil society organizations, as well as migrants.
Mideast Tunes: A web and mobile app showcasing underground musicians in the Middle East and North Africa who use music as a tool for social change. (mideastunes.com)
The mission of Mideast Tunes is to unite people across social, political, and religious barriers by creating constructive discourse through music. Mideast Tunes has reinforced the value of music as more than just a creative outlet, but as a social tool that amplifies the voices of marginalized communities, especially youth, in a way that transforms the entire narrative around the Middle East and North Africa.
The platform is a microcosm of what the region has to offer. Many of our artists are women who perform across a wide variety of genres, or artists from minority communities who face multiple barriers in their search for expression. With over 1,500 bands registered, and over 250,000 mobile app users, the demand for the platform continues to rise. In these times of political turmoil, music and art serves an important purpose, challenging its audience to reconnect with truth and beauty despite the world’s destructive forces.

1-War and Conflict: This project has been done with grade 10 students for three consecutive years and this year it was done in partnership with a school in Palestine. Through it, students get the chance to read about wars that have taken place in the world, overview its causes and effects and reflect on it. Then, they get the chance to read a lot of valuable diverse primary resources about the 15-year Lebanese civil war, review the “TAEf” Treaty, and propose amendments to it and solutions the current conflicting state.
2- Culture and Identity: Is another project that student work on across various subjects to answer the following question:”How can geographic location shape people’s cultural identity?” Through this project, which was done this year with a partner school in the USA, students develop an in-depth understanding of themselves and learn to interact with people around the world through the partnership they are exposed to with schools from other cultural backgrounds.
3- Women’s Rights: is a project that was done twice. It tackles the changing role of women in the country and the challenges that Arab women face. Students had the chance to meet the female Lebanese activist Linda Mattar and discuss her path of struggle and her dreams for the future to come.
4-Rights of People with special needs: being a school that cherishes inclusion and believes it is a cornerstone for community building, the rights of people with special needs has been a very successful project implemented with grade eight students. Through the project students learn how to respect and interact with people with various physical or mental impairments.
5- MUN program: The Model United Nation is a program that allows students to role-play diplomats or delegates in a conference similar to the United Nations where they research and formulate political positions based on the actual policies of the countries they represent.
6- MAL program: The Modern Arab League program helps engage students from various religious and political backgrounds in Lebanon to discuss various social, political, and economic subjects that are affecting and shaping the Arab World.
7- Adyan/Alwan club: Alwan, the non-formal education club within Adyan, fosters the role of youth as active citizens for peace building in the framework of a comprehensive national belonging and inclusive citizenship.
8-The Big Dance: it is an activity organized annually by the British Council. It is a common chirography that takes place at the same time in Britain and all over the world. It aims at spreading cultural and artistic awareness, tolerance, and acceptance through dancing.
9- Road safety program: it is a non-formal educational club that aims at developing students’ awareness to the dangers of speed, texting and careless driving. It works with students on resolving current nearby modifications to guarantee better road safety standards in our local community and making them responsible drivers in the years to come.
 

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.