2005 press releases

USAID Supports Six Lebanese Non-Governmental Organizations With $232,000 in Grants

April 18, 2005

U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman and United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Lebanon Mission Director Raouf Youssef signed agreements worth $107,000 with three Lebanese organizations on April 18, 2005. The three Lebanese organizations care for children without families, support caregivers of Alzheimer victims, and protect and educate consumers. On the same occasion, USAID presented checks in the amount of $175,000 to International College, to organizations providing elder care and vocational training, and supporting rural tourism.

Located in Ksarnaba, Kfar Joz, Beit Mery and Beirut, the six projects will directly benefit more than 1,500 individuals coming from all Lebanese regions. USAID signed agreements with the following organizations:

1) $35,000 to the Lebanese Association of SOS Children’s Villages to equip a newly completed facility in the Ksarnaba in the Beqaa and to purchase office equipment for the administrative section. SOS Children’s Villages educate and care for orphaned and abandoned children to help them become responsible, productive, and independent citizens in their community. 40 children will benefit from USAID’s assistance.

2) $25,000 to Consumers Lebanon to equip their first consumer protection office located in Beirut. The office will serve as the organization’s headquarters and permit centralization of the organization’s management activities that address consumer protection issues benefiting society at large. The office will also serve as a one-stop shop for citizens to file consumer complaints, comments and suggestions.

3) $47,000 to Alzheimer’s Association to procure computers and audiovisual equipment, as well as wheelchairs, electrical beds and other medical supportive materials for Alzheimer patients. USAID will also fund the printing of 2,000 copies of the Alzheimer Patient’s Care Guide in Arabic, the first comprehensive guide of its kind in Lebanon. Located in Beirut, the association currently benefits 140 caregivers through training and more than 140 Alzheimer patients through direct assistance.

USAID presented checks to the following organizations:

1) $25,000 to the International College (IC) in Beirut to purchase 850 books for the school’s library. The assistance is part of USAID annual funding IC to provide scholarships to needy students at the school. Books include texts, reference materials and fiction, to be used by students and teachers alike. IC’s library can be accessed by the general public on the Internet at www.ic.edu.lb.

2) $50,000 to Women Progress Association in the South of Lebanon to equip its elder care center with equipment, administrative room tables and audio-visual materials. Located in Kfar Joz in Nabatiyeh, the association’s aims are to expand its humanitarian services to benefit the elderly, as well as to create permanent job opportunities in the field of elderly care in the village.

3) $50,000 to Al Kafaat Foundation to procure equipment to improve its automotive vocational training program to match the job market requirement standards. Located in Beit Mery, Ain Saade in Mount Lebanon, Al Kafaat’s car mechanics section currently provides vocational training to 60 students aged between 15 and 25 from all Lebanon. Through USAID’s assistance, the institution will increase its number of students to reach 140.

4) $50,000 to Association Libanaise pour le Developpement et de la Culture (ALDEC) for equipment to support the Women’s Rural Tourism Vocational Training Program conducted at Al Tilal Institute of Rural and Touristic Development in Maad in Jbeil. The program trains 240 women each year in rural tourism and hospitality, including topics such as lodging, catering, guiding, local arts and crafts, basic language skills, accounting and computers.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has worked in Lebanon since 1951, funding development projects to benefit Lebanese citizens. USAID’s program promotes economic opportunities, job creation, good governance and environmental policies and practices in rural Lebanon. USAID provides $35 million assistance a year and works in partnership with U.S. and Lebanese organizations throughout the country. USAID strengthens the relationship between the people of Lebanon and the people of the United States, and promotes a shared vision of democracy and socio-economic development. For more information about USAID’s projects in Lebanon, visit USAID’s web site www.usaidlebanon.org.lb.