On July 5th, I traveled to the beautiful Marjayoun valley, in southern Lebanon, to attend the inauguration of the Fadai Center, which brought together donors, religious and political authorities, staff, and members of the community.
AVSI has been working in Marjayoun and its neighboring towns since the beginning of the Syrian war, which forced over a million Syrian refugees to seek refuge there in Informal Tent Settlements. From the very first year, in an attempt to create a glimpse of hope for the most vulnerable, AVSI staff envisioned building a Community Center which would allow for an escape from the dark reality that many Syrian refugees were facing, and still are to this day. Today, the Fadai Community Center, found in the village of Bourj El Moulok, in the heart of Marjayoun, has thus far been indeed an escape for 100,000 people in need.
We are pleased that the data demonstrates a significant positive impact on the lives of project beneficiaries, many of whom are amongst those most affected by the pandemic. This article will highlight the results of Italy, Lebanon, and Ecuador, to illustrate the many succeses of our covid relief initiatives.
As the pandemic keeps raging around the world, it has become more and more evident that access to distance learning is uneven, with huge disparities based on income and geography. Globally, parents struggle to fill the gap, and there is a well-founded fear that the most vulnerable children will not catch up with their learning goals. At the beginning of the Summer, AVSI-USA launched the campaign “Let’s go Back to School.” The main goal was to help our partners in Uganda, Lebanon, and Ecuador prepare vulnerable children to go back to school after almost two years of online learning. To address these and other challenges created by the pandemic, AVSI and partners have planned customized responses together with families and communities. As part of our global campaign, our donors helped us reach the following results.
In last year’s Annual Campaign, we invited you to “Expand your Horizons” and to join us as we reached out with hope towards communities fighting to counter the negative impact of the COVID pandemic. Over the difficult year, we have all experienced how much our destinies are tied to each other. The life of someone across the globe can impact mine, just as my life can impact theirs. It’s time to take a leap forward in how we conceive of our self and our responsibility towards one another, especially towards those suffering, on the margins of society and at risk of falling short of their fullest potential.
Human development is something that must concern us all. You are the heart of development. These are times that require bravery. AVSI-USA offers you this chance to say yes to the dramatic needs in our backyard and around the world, by supporting important projects in Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Haiti, Lebanon and Los Angeles.
Lebanon is facing an unprecedented economic crisis compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Beirut Port Blast. This quantitative country-wide study analyses data collected from 26 schools and 372 households of children enrolled in AVSI educational activities, both inside and outside the classroom, to show the impact of the crisis on school-aged Lebanese and refugee children.
Before August 4th 2020, the country was already in a state of emergency, and it continues today. In this article, AVSI’s Country Representative in Lebanon, Marina Molino Lova, explains how the explosion has aggravated an already dramatic situation.
The Beirut Explosion of August 4, 2020 left behind an explosion of feelings as its impact extended deeper and beyond the direct destruction of surrounding areas affecting the psychological conditions of people from different ages and diverse backgrounds.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is helping the most vulnerable people in Karantina heal from the trauma and psychological wounds caused by the devastating blast and rebuild a strong social structure of active survivors.
In partnership with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), AVSI Lebanon implements the project “Community-based protective face mask production through Cash for Work activities in Marjayoun and Hasbaya” in Lebanon.
AVSI is monitoring the continued development of the coronavirus pandemic in countries where we operate. We are aware of risks that local populations will face, especially having limited access to precarious health systems and already struggling with poverty, hunger, and conflict. AVSI staff continues to accompany our beneficiaries, following safety regulations implemented in each country. We are doing everything we can to ensure minimal interruption of our initiatives, which many people need even more right now. Below are some testimonials we have received from colleagues, who like all of us, have to adapt, be creative, and remain hopeful during these difficult times.
