• Individual toolkit to help them start up

• A well designed programme to reinforce the learnings and support the application of these learnings via reminders and incentives 

• Facilitated access to financial services

• Facilitated access to new clients and markets

Donate and become a P+SITIVE change agents by making a difference in the lives of those who have been forced to abandon their homes and members of the host communities who are living in challenging conditions. Your help will enable both communities to be empowered economically and regain stability and hope in life.

Our beneficiaries 

Saada Ghale is a Lebanese widow and mother of two teenagers that lives in the Beqaa Valley in Zahle. As a female single-parent in Lebanon, she really struggled to make ends meet and hence was pushed to start working after her husband passing away. Being a single-parent in Lebanon is particularly challenging for low to middle-income households as they are highly pressurized by expensive basic expenditures of low-quality (food, housing, education, health). At the same time, being a female head of the household is still socially difficult since women are still legally dependent on males in their family (husband, father, brothers) to open up a bank account, take out a loan, etc. She had never worked before learning how to become a hairdresser and how to start her own activity with both Makhzoumi Foundation and Positive Planet International. Enrolling into the programme was a major shift because it gave her a professional and social status while increasing her self-esteem and self-confidence. Her children are encouraging her to pursue this career and now her activity has become a nice bound between her and her children.
She can proudly say that “for the first time, I trust myself to do something productive”.
She is well-regarded in her community as “My community, family, and neighbors, can now see that I have a profession. I have distinguished skills.”
The programme gave her the willingness to build a sustainable activity for her children, herself and her community.

Ala Sayed is a twenty-four-year-old Syrian from Zeinab who lives with her two children and her parents close to Aramoun. Her husband is dead. Her brother has now to take care of her and allowed her to work to make ends meet for the family. She had never worked before enrolling into the programme to start her own food preparation activity from home. She was in a very dire situation when a field officer pointed her towards this livelihood programme and when she decided to start an activity. The UNHCR had rejected her application for aid support after being in the country for 4 years. The programme has brought her hope back. She feels that she knew nothing and that now, she feels empowered and have more confidence.
“Everything I’ve learned is new for me. I’ve met new people, I smell the fresh air.”
She feels that learning as a group was a wonderful support for her. In her very dire situation, the programme helped her to learn how to be even more collaborative and work as a group. It really gave her more strength and courage to get out there.
“I have the courage now. In my class, everyone is very good, we are like sisters. If I am just by myself, I will have no future.”

Both Saada and Ala are great examples of the nearly 400 beneficiaries that have been trained by Makzhoumi Foundation and Positive Planet International. Following the Syrian crisis, many Syrian families found themselves homeless and destitute and had to relocate to neighboring countries, one of which is Lebanon that is currently hosting close to 1 million Syrians. Many displaced Syrians that are hosted in Lebanon are living in dire conditions and their situation is getting worse by the day because they are unable to secure jobs. The same applies for a large number of Lebanese whose living conditions have drastically deteriorated as a result of the Syrian crisis. Women and youth have been affected the most and continue to face widespread social and economic challenges.

At we know that women and youth are a very important economic driving force. Through vocational training and enabling programme that was designed and successfully implemented between August 2016 and February 2018 (Phase I), we’ve already helped 436 beneficiaries, 80% of which are females and 57% are young adults,to take back control of their destiny. But in order to continue with our efforts and launch Phase II that will help beneficiaries take the next big step, we need your support!

How you can help: 

• Sponsor women and youth to facilitate their access to financial services and markets: USD 100
• Sponsor tool kits for women and youth to launch their micro-businesses: USD 200
• Sponsor women and youth to access to individual support and coaching for 6 months: USD 1200

The more you donate, the more beneficiaries we can reach at a lower cost:

• Support 300 women and youth: USD 1350
• Support 400 women and youth: USD 1000
• Support 500 beneficiaries: USD 800
  
  
• General donation: No specific amount
  
  

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