Thursday, January 23, 2014

"فيديو: سباق بعلبك تحت عنوان " نركض من اجل السلم الأهلي


Video “Run All Together for Civil Peace” Race in Baalbeck


The Young Peacebuilders project

LOST executed “The Young Peace builders” project in cooperation with “War Child Holland”. This project aims to:

•    Train 40 youth from 4 schools in Baalbeck and Hermel on conflict resolution and peace building skills and enable them to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired to act proactively and peacefully in their local communities
•    Create an independent platform for real and constructive dialogue and promote for a culture of peace in implementing interactive and peace-related activities in the region
•    Establish 4 peace clubs in the targeted schools and ensure sustainability by promoting partnership among LOST, youth, and the targeted schools.

"مشروع" الشباب والسلم الاهلي


نفذت الجمعية اللبنانية للدراسات والتدريب بالتعاون مع مؤسسة  WAR CHILD HOLLAND  مشروع "الشباب والسلم الاهلي" الذي تضمن تدريب 40 شابا وفتاة من مدارس منطقة بعلبك الهرمل على مهارات حل النواع وبناء السلم الاهلي، لتمكينهم من استخدام هذه المهارات والتصرف بايجابية وسلمية في مجتمهاتهم بالاضافة الى خلق مساحة مستقلة للحوار البناء والهادف وتعزيز ثقافة السلم الاهلي والقيام بأنشطة تساهم في تحقيق هذه الاهداف بالاضافة الى تأسيس 4 اندية للسلم الاهلي في المدارس المستهدفة والتهيئة لشراكة طويلة الامد بين المدارس والاندية والشباب المشارك والجمعية اللبنانية للدراسات والتدريب.

Live Music (Karaoke) as a Platform for Youth in Baalbeck-Hermel to Meet

As part of “The Academy of Conflict Resolution”, a peace building-oriented project implemented by the Lebanese organization of Studies and Training and funded by Canada Fund, 120 youth from Baalbeck-Hermel region organized a Live Music Day (Karaoke) at Baytna Restaurant in Baalbeck.
After training 120 youth from conflicting communities in Baalbeck-Hermel region on conflict resolution techniques, LOST organized the event and got the targeted youth from Baalbeck, Hermel, Ein, and Bedneyel-Shmustar to participate. Youth were encouraged to sing patriotic songs and their main slogan in the event was “We Want to Live Together”.

The activity aims at helping youth bridge all differences based on sectarian and political divisions through recreational activities, thus creating a safe and independent space where they can interact freely and proactively in a tension-free environment. LOST employs this methodology of linking activities to training content to provide a practical model of activating youth in order to facilitate reconciliation.    

حفلات كارا اوكي لتلاقي ودمج الشباب

في اطار مشروع "اكاديمية حل النزاعات" الذي تنفذه الجمعية اللبنانية للدراسات والتدريب بالتعاون مع السفارة الكندية شارك الشباب في حفلات كارا اوكي التي تهدف الى تلاقي ودمج الشباب من المناطق والمذاهب والخلفيات المختلفة فكانت الحفللات رسالة من الشباب الى كل اللبنانيين مضمونها اننا نستتطيع ان "نعيش مع بعضنا البعض"

ويشارك في المشروع 120 شابا من منطقة بعلبك الهرمل موزعين على فروع الجمعية الاربعة (بعلبك، العين، الهرمل وبدنايل) حيث ناقشوا حتى الان في ورش عمل حملت عنواني التسامح وحل النزاعات.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

I Trust My Chickens


Nadwa Dandash, 45, lives with her old mother at a humble house in Bdita, one of the impoverished neighborhoods in Hermel.

When the Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training (LOST) first visited her house to introduce its new project on generating additional income to Lebanese families affected by the increasing influx of Syrian refugees and ensuring work opportunity and capacity building for women in rural areas, Nadwa showed great interest in joining in.

While the coordinator was explaining that LOST will be distributing 6000 chickens on 200 families and train them on how to raise chicken in coop , Nadwa was directly exercising her own spatial skills and doing her own calculations, “ I will allocate that corner for my chickens”, she joyfully said. 

A week later, it was chicken delivery date; the same coordinator showed up to hand Nadwa her share, 30 chickens of an excellent breed. She had already prepared the coop and her generosity was received very well by her chickens; they started to lay eggs in their first day in the new habitat as if they were paying her back for her hospitality.  

Nadwa took full advantage of the numerous workshops and field visits LOST organized to promote marketing skills. She eventually convinced Toni Shamas, the owner of a mini market in Hermel to purchase her harvest on a daily basis. The necessary guidance offered paid off and the bargain sealed. She gives him eggs and in return he offers all the household needs which she couldn’t have afforded previously.

Three months later, a strange thing happened. Nadwa was heading towards the mini market as usual to trade the eggs for some fruits and vegetables when she saw a young boy heading to his nearby public school and grappling to put his books in the torn backpack. She was touched by the incident and gently asked the boy to escort her to the mini market. With a very confident and proud tone, she asked the owner to exchange the pile of eggs for a new suitcase for the little boy. Lying by the counter, Mr. Shamas obligingly went to the suitcase section to get the suitcase. Then he heard her say, “Please choose the best one, the one with a superman on the back”. She then looked at the boy and they exchanged a strange but surely a heavenly look. The boy grabbed the backpack, directly staffed his books in, and speechlessly kissed Nadwa before he ran to school.

Then a flood of questions started falling on her. A relative said, “How would you ensure your livelihood for this week?” The owner of the market exclaimed, “Don’t you need the money more to provide for your sick mother?” Her calm and assured reply shocked them all. “No worries, I trust my chickens and if God permits, I will buy this boy all books and stationery next year. The chickens so far haven’t failed her, and, she believes, they won’t. 

زيادة الخير


في اطار عملنا بمشروع زيادة دخل الاسر، قامت الجمعية اللبنانية للدراسات والتدريب بالتعرف على الانسة ندوة دندش التى تسكن حي بديتا وهو احد اربع احياء تتالف منهم مدينة الهرمل.

ندوة دندش هي انسة في الخامسة والاربعين من العمر، تسكن في بيت ترابي مع امها العجوز المقعدة حيث تعمل على رعايتها بشكل مستمر.

امام منزل ندوة دندش حديقة صغيرة اقتطعت منها بضع امتار وبنت فيها قن دجاج عندما اخبرناها عن مشروعنا في تربية الدجاج، ولطيور الدجاج قصة فرح وحياة مع هذه الانسة لمسناها منذ اول زيارة قمنا بها للتاكد من حسن سير الامور وكيفية تربية ندوة لهذه الطيور.

الزيارة الاولى كانت بعد اسبوع من التسليم اظنه اسبوع حافل بالكد والنشاط، فقد قامت ندوة بكل ما عليها من واجبات من شانها ان تؤمن بيئة صحية ونموذجية وصالحة لتربية طيور الدجاج، و الدجاج لم يبخل على ندوة فبادلها النشاط وبدا يضع بيوضه منذ اليوم الاول مكافئا ندوة على جهودها، ومن بعدها بدات الطيور رحلة التسابق والعرفان بالجميل لندوة حيث انتجوا في اليوم السابع  29 بيضة وهو اليوم الذي زرنا ندوة به فشاهدنا علامات السرور على وجهها، علامات التحدي، انها علامات حياة افضل، حياة نحو المستقبل.

والافضل هو الذي حدث لندوة فبدات ببيع البيض لدكان الحي "ميني ماركت طوني شمص" وكانت تشتري بثمنهم حاجيات للبيت طالما لم تستطع ان تؤمنهم سابقا اما اليوم فندوة يسال عنها صاحب الدكان ويتمنى دخولها دكانه حاملة معها خيرات النشاط خيرات الفرح فلا تبخل ندوة عليه بذلك.

وبعد مرور 3 اشهر من تاريخ تسليمها الطيور ادخلت ندوة الفرحة الى قلب صبي صغير اسمه محمود فقد راته يوما يحمل حقيبته المدرسية الممزقة ويجر اقدامه بثقل الى المدرسة التى تبعد 500 متر عن بيته فاهدته حقيبة جديدة من ثمار جهودها لترسم فرحة وطريقا مفعما بالحياة امام صبي قد يكون يوما ما طبيبا او مهندسا، وعندما قلنا لندوة الم يؤذيك دفع هذا المبلغ وخصوصا انك تحتاجينه في كثير من الامور اجابت انا اثق بدجاجاتي فلن يبخلوا علي بالتعويض وان شاء الله ساشتري كل سنة حقيبة واقلاما لهذا الصبي ان سارت الامور على ما يرام.

والى هذا اليوم تسير الامور مع ندوة على خير ما يرام فنزورها ونتصل بها بشكل مستمر ونحبها من قلوبنا وهيى تبادلنا المحبة.

The Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training Commences Vocational Training for Lebanese and Syrian Youth in Mid Bekaa

On December 12th, 2013, The Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training in collaboration with Save the Children International started vocational training courses for 24 Lebanese and Syrian youth in Bar Elias, Lebanon.

This training will span for a period of two months where participants take sessions on two courses, Secretarial skills and Mobile phone maintenance and repair. It will bring together youth from the Lebanese and Syrian communities in one of the most conflict-prone areas in Mid Bekaa; thus creating a tension-free environment and an independent platform for youth to interact and think jointly and proactively. 

This partnership LOST is developing with Save the Children International aims at enabling youth from the Lebanese and Syrian communities to better access income-generating opportunities through vocational training linked to the market demand

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Involving Women in Municipal Budgeting

 The Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training in cooperation with the British Embassy in Lebanon finalized the training phase of the “Promoting Women’s Role in Participatory Budgeting” project. Women participating in the project took part in several workshops on citizenship, civic participation, municipal work and advocacy.

They also held several meetings with the municipality of Housh El-Refka, El-Hermel and El-Nabi Othman. Currently women are preparing necessary tools to start a need assessment in different villages. The purposes of this assessment is to examine different needs of these villages as perceived by women and to reflect on how to find appropriate solutions.

السيدات المشاركات في مشروع دعم المرأة تنهي المرحلة الاولى بلقاءات بلدية

انهت السيدات المشاركات في مشروع "دعم المرأة من خلال اشراكها في الموازنة البلدية" الذي تنظمه الجمعية اللبنانية للدراسات والتدريب بالتعاون مع السفارة البريطانية في لبنان المرحلة الاولى والتي تضمنت ورش عمل في مواضيع: المواطنية، المشاركة المدنية، العمل البلدي، المدافعة، تحليل الاحتياجات والموازنة البلدية التشاركية. وفي هذا الاطار نظمت السيدات لقاءات مع رئيس بلدية حوش الرافقة الاستاذ رياض يزبك، نائب رئيس بلدية الهرمل الاستاذ عصام بليبل وعضو بلدية النبي عثمان الاستاذ عباس وهبي.


وتستعد السيدات لتنظيم استمارات لدراسة احتياجات بلدات بعلبك، حوش الرافقة، النبي عثمان والهرمل وذلك لعرضها على البلديات المعنية والتعاون في ايجاد حلول مناسبة للشاكل المطروحة.

A Petition to the Director of the World Bank-MENA Region.

The Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training organized a meeting with key-figures in Baalbeck- Hermel at its premises in Baalbeck on December 17th 2013 to follow on “Building the Capacity of Civil Institutions to Provide Services and Legal Awareness to Stateless People”, a project funded by the World Bank.

The Meeting was held in the presence of Mufti of Baalbeck Sheikh Ayman Al-Rifai, The head of Religious Court in Baalbeck Sheikh Talib Joumaa, representatives of political parties, mayors, municipality members, mukhtars, non-governmental organization representatives, activists and stateless people.

Dr. Ramy Lakkis, the founder of LOST, delivered a presentation on the issue of Stateless People in Baalbeck- Hermel and the drastic social, economic, and political effects resulting from ignoring it. Lakkis then presented the organization’s initiatives to tackle this problem by coordinating with the World Bank to fund a project entitled “Building the Capacity of Civil Institutions to Provide Services and Legal Awareness to Stateless People”. He also regretted the bureaucratic regulations between the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the World Bank which could impede the implementation of the project.  Bolstered by the benefit of such an initiative, all attendees representing local community signed a petition that supports the project and agreed to send an appeal to the Minister of Finance and the Director of the World Bank- MENA region Mr.  Ferid Belhaj requesting the immediate approval of the project for the welfare of Baalbeck-Hermel citizens.

Peace building for Youth in Baalbeck

The Lebanese Organization of studies and Training launched “Youth Academy of Conflict Resolution”, a new project funded by Canada Fund.

The project aims at training 120 youth from conflicting communities in Baalbeck-Hermel region. The training will empower youth with techniques to resolve conflicts peacefully by engaging them in different social media trainings and workshops and help them voice their views in social and economic affairs as active citizens.

LOST will utilize its four branches as training venues, each hosting once a week 30 participants in two groups starting in December 2013 and ending in February 2014.