According to the latest UNHCR data, the number of refugees seeking protection and essential services in Lebanon amounted to 976,000 in July 2018. The country is still one of the ones affected the most by the Syrian conflict, as it still suffers its consequences on both the social and economic level.
High unemployment rates among the Lebanese youth population (35% in 2015, ILO data) contribute to exacerbating social tensions between host communities and Syrian refugees. This is compounded by a remarkably high rate of female unemployment, estimated at 68%.
The COOPI project was aimed at strengthening the resilience of local communities and the capacities of the municipalities of Tripoli, Beddawe and Kalamoun by providing services and support to the most vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities through rapid income-generating activities and rapid income and employment generation for their members.
The 341 selected beneficiaries - 30% of whom were women – participated in the redevelopment of highly populated low-middle-income residential areas, characterised by a general state of decay and poor spatial and service planning. The work carried out included:
- the redevelopment of the public garden at Al Imam Public Garden in Abou Samra, Tripoli;
- the renovation of a retaining wall in the Municipality of Kalamoun;
- the redevelopment of the sidewalk of Beddawe's main road;
- the reforestation of the urban area of Beddawe.
Each of the interventions involved 90 beneficiaries (except for the 70 for the reforestation of Beddawe), divided into 6 teams for 20 days of work, for a total of 6820 working hours generated. In each team, workloads and types of activities were distributed according to gender, age and skills. Wages were also kept at a fixed standard for all workers.
Renovation works allowed to reach 88,000 individuals in the areas touched bythe intervention, alleviating tensions between Lebanese and Syrians. Most of all, thug, the project managed to demonstrate that fruitful and well-organised cooperation can benefit everybody.
