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Lebanon

EXAMPLES OF OUR IMPACT

• USAID's Shariky ("Participate") project helped to more than double the number of Lebanese women elected to municipal offices, from 201 in 2004 to 531 in 2010.
• In 2010, 1,750 students benefitted from scholarship assistance provided to American educational institutions in Lebanon.
• USAID provided loans, through microfinance institutions, to over 2,200 small businesses, creating and sustaining over 3,000 jobs (a third of which are filled by women).

CONTACTS
Mission Director
Jim Barnhart
USAID/Lebanon
U.S. Embassy
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: 961-4-544-251

Lebanon Desk Officer
Elaine Scott
Tel: (202) 712-0404
Email: escott@usaid.gov

USAID linked the Women's Association of Deir El Ahmar and Gardenia, a local food processing company, allowing it to sustain jobs for local rural women. (Photo: RI)

Overview

The American and Lebanese development partnership has persevered over the past 50 years by promoting our shared values of human dignity, self-reliance, and equality of people. USAID assistance has recently been aimed at advancing two primary goals: (1) strengthening the Government of Lebanon's ability to provide quality services to its citizens, including education, clean water, and good governance; and (2) enhancing economic opportunity and stabilization in the country's poorest areas, particularly peri-urban and rural areas, where per capita income stands at less than $4 a day.

Programs

Governing Justly and Democratically
USAID assistance improves election administration at both the central level and at the grassroots level, including support for increased women’s participation in elections. The number of Lebanese women elected to municipal offices more than doubled following the 2010 municipal elections, from 201 in 2004 to 531, without the help of a quota law, a technique used to ensure a specified number of seats for women. USAID strengthens the Lebanese parliament by assisting the parliamentary administration in capacity building and establishing a regional training center in Lebanon. Additionally, USAID assists the Ministry of Finance to develop effective procedures for financial transparency and strengthened financial reporting.

Since 2007, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives has promoted peace and stability through the Lebanon Civic Support Initiative (LCSI). The LCSI catalyzes youth activism in marginalized areas, enhances the ability of civil society organizations to advocate for local or national issues, and mitigates tensions in conflict-prone areas. As of May 2011, over 200,000 people have participated in LCSI activities, with over 18,880 youth equipped with organizational and advocacy skills, and with 80 youth-focused civil society organizations receiving U.S. funding for the first time. These outputs contribute to U.S. Government efforts to preserve democratic space and strengthen Lebanon's civil peace.

In an effort to focus USAID's democracy and governance portfolio, the Mission is assessing opportunities for future assistance in light of recent regional and domestic political changes.

Investing in People
In education, USAID enhances the quality of Lebanon's public schools, which have been neglected due to years of civil war and ineffective government support. Nearly 60 percent of Lebanese send their children to private schools, leaving the public schools lacking quality services and serving the poorest children. The assistance covers all of Lebanon's public schools and aims at improving school learning environments through school rehabilitation and provision of equipment, improving learning opportunities through teacher training and extracurricular activities, and increasing stakeholder engagement in public schools.

In higher education, USAID offers full, need-based university scholarships to qualified students from public schools. In 2010, 1,750 students benefitted from scholarship assistance provided to American educational institutions in Lebanon. A professional training program supports short-term training for select professionals from the public and private sectors, covering a variety of subjects and skill areas.

To reduce pollution of the Litani River, USAID has completed two community-based wastewater treatment plants on the Upper Litani river basin and is constructing a third. Approximately 43,000 people in eight villages will benefit. USAID partners with the four regional water establishments, creating new management and analytical tools, and is transforming the Litani River Authority into a more effective river basin agency. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, USAID addresses fire risk and reforestation efforts for Lebanon's forests.

Economic Growth
The centerpiece of USAID's economic opportunity portfolio is the development of rurally based value chains, particularly for export markets. USAID bolsters public-private partnerships and community mobilization for poor communities in the north of the country and the neighborhoods surrounding the Nahr El Bared Palestinian camp. USAID assists landmine survivors in southern Lebanon to sustainably increase their incomes through agribusiness. A USAID-supported cooperative benefitted more than 200 survivors and had total sales of $970,000 in 2010. USAID expands microfinance lending to individuals and cooperatives and supports the Government of Lebanon's feasibility study for a proposed Special Economic Zone in Tripoli.

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