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.
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.
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.
Despite the fragile and critical security situation in Lebanon and the serious terrorist attacks and downright threats, the Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training in coordination with 6 local NGOs and more than 20 partnering schools in Northern Bekaa organized a “Run All Together for Civil Peace” Race in Baalbeck on November 22nd 2013.
The Race aimed at raising public awareness and disseminating message of civil peace by attracting local and national media attention before, during and after the race. LOST conducted several national TV appearances on national media outlets like MTV, Manar, Future, and NBN just before the race to explain its objectives and encourage participation. The organization sought live radio coverage with PAX, a local radio, which conducted interviews with sponsors, racers, and organizers during the race. It is worth noting that a sound system at the start point and finish line was utilized to attract the attention of passersby through music, help organize crowds through instructions, echo the message and the slogan of the Race repeatedly to target new audiences, deliver speeches to the public, and announce the results of the winners and the draw. More appearances will be conducted to highlight impact and success. 
The Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training also capitalized on direct interaction with local and national government. Given the fragile security situation and in an attempt to strengthen the relationships between civil society organizations and local government, LOST and partnering NGOs and schools coordinated the logistics of the Race with local government bodies like the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the municipality of Baalbeck, other municipalities, national security bodies, and the governate of Baalbeck. As a result representatives of local and national government bodies played a significant part in the design and the implementation of the Race. H.E the Faysal Karame sponsored the race and his delegate Dr. Yusef Shaheen delivered a speech by the end of the Race. Representatives of the municipality of Baalbeck and other local municipalities,and Mucktars also attended the event. Internal Security Forces, General Security, Lebanese Army, and Red Cross secured the itinerary of the race. Such involvement of various stakeholders modeled LOST and partnering NGOs as credible community actors in the field of peace building..JPG)
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