WHERE: Irzay, Southern Lebanon

WHO: 130 Students

The problem of unsafe water is one of the major concerns of Irzay Municipality. A high number of children water-borne illnesses were reported in the village, with many cases requiring intensive hospital care. The incidents came after the children drank contaminated water with high level of pollutants in their elementary school.

Because UNDP Live Lebanon projectalways generate momentum for solutions, theIrzay Elementary school was equipped with a water filtration system and three clean drinking water taps, with a supply of 750 water cups per hour. Bringing clean water to 130 students of Irzay Elementary School, increased children accessibility to safe treated water and reduced the burden of hospital and medical expenses weighing on the shoulders of their parents.

Children are particularly vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Their small bodies take in a disproportionately large quantity of water and its contaminants, and their immune systems are not equipped to fight off invaders such as E. coli, giardia and the typhoid bacteria.

This initiative would not have been possible without the support of Mr. Roumy from Sawt el Ghad who dedicated his ‘Drive at Five” radio show for one week to raise funds for Live Lebanon.

“This project is a great success. It has benefitted more people than expected. Even inhabitants of neighbouring villages are now coming to collect water from our tank”

The shepherds in the village of Taraya own around 9000 sheep and goats that drink directly from the natural spring in the village. This pollutes the water and causes illness among the 100 shepherds and their families who also drink directly from the same source. Their only alternative was to buy bottled water which is could not afford given their modest income.

Live Lebanon intervention in Taraya was much needed in order to provide a healthy free source of water, and thanks to the generosity of its goodwill ambassador, Mr Ghaleb Farha, this was made possible in April 2014.

A large reservoir was built close to the spring, and a potable water line was installed to channel the clean water into it. Two pipelines separated potable and non-potable water to prevent the pollution of drinking water.

Live Lebanon thrives to find solutions for such problems, which falls under the Healthy Lebanon Pillar of its pillars. Once again, clean water became accessible and free to the inhabitants of a Lebanese village.

Many areas in Lebanon do not have the basic healthcare services that people need. While some villages have public health clinics that charge minimal fees, but they are often not well equipped, especially with dental equipment since it is not considered a high priority. This was the case in Tanbourit, a village located in the South of Lebanon.

Given the average low income of the residents of Tanbourit, they could not afford essential medical care, let alone dental care.

In October 2014, UNDP - Live Lebanon initiative made it a priority to provide this underprivileged village with a modern fully equipped dental clinic, and was able to achieve this with the generous support of Goodwill Ambassador Mr. Elias Saad.

Tanbourit municipality supported the initiative by securing dentists who agreed to work with minimum salaries.

“Not only we benefitted from the clinic, but also the inhabitants of the neighboring villages, and the Syrians in the area” said Khaled Souma from Tanbourit.

Health care is one of the main pillars of Live Lebanon, and through this project, over 1200 direct beneficiaries now have access to affordable dental care.

“Live Lebanon’s generous efforts have been keeping our bodies and hearts warm since 2014. It makes us feel at home knowing that they are by our side during these hard times.”

The influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon triggered an action from UNDP Live Lebanon as the harshest winter approached and many children where to suffer without proper shelter or clothing.

On January 2015, more than five thousand packages of winter clothing were distributed, and medical treatment was administered to children suffering from skin conditions within seven Syrian camps around Bekaa and South Lebanon. The packages included jackets, gloves, socks, scarves and caps, whereas the treatment covered Leishmaniasis, fungus, Eczema and other skin infections and allergies.

This intervention would not have been possible without the warm and generous contribution of Mr. Ghaleb Farha and his son Mr. Dany Farha. Over five thousand Syrian children were better equipped for winter and more than 1,200 treated for the skin diseases they suffered from.

With the constant electricity shortage problem in Lebanon, Lebanese villages find it difficult to light up their roads and ensure the safety of its citizens.

In 2014, the United Nations Development Program’s Live Lebanon initiative, along with Jdeidet Marjeyoun municipality, inaugurated the successful implementation of the solar streetlights project in the Southern village of Jdeidet Marjeyoun. The project implemented aims at providing the village with solar streetlight systems in view of creating a more safe environment in terms of transportation and reducing the momentous number of dangerous accidents. The solar energy is a local solution to the ongoing electricity shortage problem in Lebanon which will also contribute to the mitigation of climate change and environmental threats.

The project was entirely funded by the generous contribution of Goodwill Ambassador Mr. Ghaleb Farha. The inauguration ceremony was held in the municipality of Jdeidet Marjeyoun, in the presence of the Mayor Mr. Amal Hourani, UNDP Social and Local development program manager Dr. Raghed Assi, important figures of the village and surrounding regions, as well as residents of the area.

The electricity shortage is a national problem in Lebanon, and in many areas, residents are forced to generate their own electricity which comes at a high price, both financially and on the environment.

18 hours of darkness per day negatively affected the lives of people in the village of Marwaheen in Tyr. The municipality power generator was old and out of order, so the residents of the southern village had to find alternate solutions to generate their own electricity whenever possible. This was a costly inefficient undertaking that they shouldn’t have to endure under normal circumstances.

In June 2014, Live Lebanon, with the generous contribution of its Goodwill Ambassadors Mr. Fadi Salameh was able to, within the context of the Prosperous Lebanon Campaign, provide the village with a large generator, benefiting 3,000 inhabitants.

Bringing electricity to Marwaheen, has contributed to the welfare of the villagers by reducing pollution, lowering living expenses, and reducing other losses resulting from the long hours of power outages.

“No Words can explain how happy the students and teachers were with the new classroom facilities”

The underprivileged students of the Freiha Hajj School in Nabatieh, South Lebanon, were receiving their education under substandard conditions. The facility was in a very poor state and needed urgent rehabilitation. The moldy roofs and hallways, the classrooms with rusty windows and others without windows altogether resulted in a very unsafe atmosphere for the students learn in.

In January 2013 and through the funds granted by Goodwill Ambassador Mr. Ghaleb Farha, UNDP Live Lebanon initiative was able to organize and implement the rehabilitation of Freiha Hajj Public School. This entailed cleaning, painting, isolating the source of humidity, redesigning classrooms, and renovating the playgrounds.

More than 200 students are now studying in a safer environment thanks to another successfully implemented project sponsored by Mr. Farha.

In Ali Nahri, a village situated in the Bekaa, households were suffering from a major water crisis. The area was completely cut off and deprived of the vital resource, and inhabitants were forced to buy water at high costs.

Recognizing the significance of such a problem and its direct effect on the wellbeing of the villagers, Live Lebanon team intervened in April 2012, installing 50 km of water pipes to connect 160 households to natural water wells.

Now more than 640 individuals in Ali El Nahri have access to abundant safe and clean water within their homes, all thanks to the generous contribution of Live Lebanon’s Goodwill Ambassador Mr. Ghaleb Farha.

Serving people in underprivileged areas and providing them with water and electricity represent a great milestone for Live Lebanon initiative which follows a strategy to secure enhanced living conditions.

“Potable water is now available for all households. No one could ask for anything better!”