USAID celebrated the achievements of the Community Support Program to enhance basic services for more than 746,000 people in Lebanon
NNA – The United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ), at Notre Dame University Louaize ( NDU ), celebrated the impact of the Community Support Program ( CSP ) on communities, after it provided local development assistance to more than 746,000 people in 180 towns in Lebanon over a period of six years ( 2018-2024).
The agency indicated, in a statement, that “this support comes at a time when municipalities and local communities bear a heavy burden in trying to provide necessary public services such as water and household electricity in light of the worsening economic crisis in Lebanon. The ceremony came to conclude more than 102 community projects worth more than $13.8 million.” One million dollars in funding from the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) to improve livelihoods in disadvantaged communities.
The closing ceremony was attended by Mark Wilt, Director of the Local Development Office at the US Agency for International Development in Lebanon, Faten Abu Al-Hassan, Acting Director General of Municipal Administrations and Councils at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, governors and other local figures.
The agency explained that it invested, over a period of six years, in solar energy projects to operate water, electricity, and street lighting systems, which provided a reliable supply of services to entire villages, and investments in recycling to combat the problem of waste management that Lebanon has suffered from for decades, and supported agricultural cooperatives by recycling Rehabilitating its headquarters and equipping them with new equipment, and many other activities.
“The United States and Lebanon share the vision that quality basic services, such as clean water, livelihood support, solid waste management, backup electricity, education, and health, are critical to safety,” said the director of USAID’s Office of Local Development in Lebanon. and economic stability in any country. The efforts of USAID and our local partners have laid a strong foundation for more than 746,000 individuals who have benefited so far from improved public services, equivalent to more than 12% of Lebanon’s population. These results are a cause for hope and celebration, especially in light of… “The difficult challenges that Lebanese municipalities and communities have faced in recent years.”
The statement continued: “In response to fuel shortages and low confidence in state-provided electricity, the Community Support Program ( CSP ) provided assistance to 23 communities with solar-powered solutions to ensure sustainable access to water, household electricity, and street lighting. Together, these projects generated 2.74 megawatts of electricity. Renewable energy has benefited more than 435,000 residents and the Community Support Program has helped another 27 communities improve water, sanitation and irrigation systems, while the Community Support Program investments in recyclable waste management have improved waste management services for 360,000 residents in 60 towns. .
Other notable achievements include rehabilitating workplaces and providing equipment to nine agricultural cooperatives, and more than 2,288 paid work opportunities including emergency debris removal after the 2020 Beirut port explosion and forest clearing after fires. With a focus on inclusion, the Community Support Program ( CSP ) also worked with local NGOs and the private sector to employ 135 people with disabilities in part-time jobs, of which 12 transitioned to full-time jobs. The Local Community Support Program also cooperated with 11 Lebanese universities in a job training program to help young people overcome the obstacles they face when applying for a job. To date, 256 students and recent graduates have completed their job training, 96 of whom have been able to obtain permanent jobs.”
The agency confirmed that “to ensure the sustainability of its local development projects, the Community Support Program ( CSP ) trained more than 3,700 members of the local community and strengthened the capabilities of 128 local partners to safely operate and maintain the provided equipment, in addition to building institutional capacities. It also implemented a support program A range of community-led awareness campaigns to conserve water and sort recyclables at source, reaching more than 31,000 people. The Community Support Program also trained partner municipalities to develop project proposals to obtain donor funding and diaspora support, which resulted in. To raise more than $350,000 in contributions from local communities, the private sector and international donors to support public services.
The agency explained that the local community support program of the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) extends over a period of 7 years with a value of $100 million (2018-2025), and is designed to improve the provision of basic services and enhance economic opportunities to improve lives primarily in northern and southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. By June 2024, CSP had enhanced the provision of basic services to more than 746,000 residents in more than 180 towns.
========== N.M
https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/
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Posted on June 13, 2024
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