In Lebanon, training for a trade… and for living together

Since the outbreak of the war in Syria, Lebanon and its four million inhabitants have hosted some one and a half million Syrian refugees. Most of these displaced persons live in the country’s poorest regions and were welcomed with open arms when the conflict broke out in the spring of 2011. But their presence now places a burden on host communities, which are worried about their own access to employment and basic services.
The international community, along with the Lebanese Government, has established an action plan to support both refugees and host communities. In this context, AFD is taking action to reduce weaknesses and assist Lebanon towards more balanced and sustainable development. Our agency has indeed financed over thirty projects in Lebanon since the early 2000s.
A project set up by the European Institute for Cooperation and Development (IECD) and its Lebanese partner Semeurs d’Avenir (SDA), for which the EUR 5m cost is being financed by AFD, came into being in 2017. It contributes to rapidly improving living conditions for vulnerable Lebanese populations and refugees via access to employment, in particular through a program of short training courses. The training is provided to an equal number of Lebanese people and refugees to ensure social cohesion and allows the vocational and social integration of a public of low-skilled young adults.