WhyWatad

The Middle East region is suffering from several crises ,the trends in the MENA region shows an increase in extreme poverty rate nearly 65 million one fifth of the Arab region’s population are extremely poor.
National figures cover large discrepancies in outcomes, as well as opportunities in health, education and living standards.

Watad is commitied to be an accountable, responsible and inclusive non profit organisation that contributes to forming a just and equitable society.

Watad aims to build the fundemental capacities of individuals and groups so that they are able to lead the construction and the empowerment of vulnerable communities through improving access to health services , education and livelihood opportunities.

Watad came into existence after recognizing the immense amount of work that needed to achieve positive change in the community, country and at the global level.We are an organization of compassionate humanitarians dedicated to reduce poverty through defying violence and create a better thriving future providing equal opportunities and building resilience across countries reaching sustainable development.

Causes :

Livelihood Cause

According to “OCHA UN” more than 55% of Lebanon’s population is now under poverty and is struggling for bare necessities, while extreme poverty has increased form 8% in 2019 to 25% in 2021 with an inflation rate 85 %. The brief indicates that the total number of poor among the Lebanese population is currently about 2.7 million. There is thus a significant erosion of the middle class, with middle-income earners now forming less than 40% of the population.

Watad aims to deliver actual and effectual solutions that improves people living conditions. We aim to implement social protection programs among poor households (especially those with no earning adult male members) that typically depend on daily wage labor in agriculture, construction and services such as cleaning, driving and work in shops. They are a part of the informal labor market with no fixed/regular contracts.

Young people hold tremendous potential for the future, never the less they face various challenges like finding enough work or even gaining access to education, health services and much more. Education is a basic human right, it protects the youth from forced recruitment into armed groups, child labor, sexual exploitation and child marriage. It strengthens community resilience and empowers vulnerable communities and those with special needs by providing them with knowledge and skills through vocational trainings that are offered by experts enabling them to live a productive independent life thus raising the flag against unemployment.

Watad’s ambition is to ensure that the right to health and access to medicines and healthcare is protected so that People will not risk dying in hospitals because of the inability to afford medicine.

Hunger causes

Across the country, 60% of Lebanese people face challenges in getting enough to eat. Among the 1.5 million Syrian refugees currently living in the country, 78% face food insecurity. Three weeks after the brutal explosion in Beirut, hunger in Lebanon is on the rise. Food insecurity – which had already deteriorated over the last year because of socio-political tensions, the refugee crisis, and the spread of COVID-19 – has worsened.

According to UNICEF 16.5% of children under 5 years old in Lebanon are not developing properly due to malnutrition, about 11% of Lebanese, 93% of Syrian refugees, 62% of Palestine refugees in Lebanon, and 94% of Palestine refugees from Syria cannot meet their basic food needs.

Lebanon’s economy, in particular, has been weakened by debt, a lack of investment, and ongoing conflicts that have prevented a resurgence of the agricultural sector. Action Against Hunger been present in Lebanon since 2006, resulted in 1,200 lives lost, $900 million in infrastructure damage, and heavy losses in the agricultural sector.

Watad aims to support and help fight hunger in Lebanon through providing communities with access to safe water and sustainable comprehensive solutions to hunger that are needs-based, and customized through direct and indirect community participation.

In Lebanon, drinking water pollution and in accessibility is 69.44%, dirty and untidy is 68.52%, and water pollution is 77.50%.

According to the World Health Organization, there is an economic return of $3-4 for each dollar invested in clean water and sanitation infrastructure.

One of watad’s objectives is to reduce water related diseases and peruse a prolonged strategy for addressing recurrent Water, Sanitation and Hygiene ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable segment are continuously met.

Employment:

Employment is a crucial part of the economic, social and environmental development process of any country.

Lebanon is facing an economic crisis characterized by the untethering of the lira to the dollar in the parallel exchange market and restrictive banking policies, with measures against transferring money abroad and extending credit facilities. These factors have taken their toll on Lebanese businesses, As the crisis unfolded over the past five months, many business owners and managers have reduced the salaries and working hours of their employees, with some even resorting to firing staff in order to cut costs. According to the International Labor Organization, youth unemployment is on the rise globally, yet the rate in Arab states remains the highest. A study by InfoPro Research, a local economics consultancy based in Beirut, found that one fifth of companies have ceased or suspended their operations since the beginning of 2019, half of which have shut down in the first five months of 2020.

This in turn has lifted the number of people out of unemployment to around 550,000, which equates to nearly one third of the total workforce of 1.8 million. 350,000 jobs have been lost since the start of the economic recession, adding to the pre-recession unemployment number of 200,000.

According to the World Bank, around 23,000 individuals set foot in the Lebanese labor market every year. This means that, out of the 23,000 citizens, only 3,833 do secure a job, which is around 17% only.

Watad aims through its Vocational training program to help create employment opportunities that will provide financial freedom and decision making power in addition to opportunities for citizens to reduce and fight corruption.

Education:

Lebanon’s overall trajectory is downwards because of the limited political commitment to education, with no new legislation enacted on education since 2007 and unpredictable regressive education and financing policy. More concretely, regional disparities in access to primary and secondary education exist in Lebanon.

There is a growing mismatch between the inflexible curricula currently being implemented and the quality needs of enterprises in all sectors. The methods and technologies used for education and training are traditional and inappropriate, and rely on an inadequately trained teaching body. The Ministry does not have the necessary staff. It has no choice but to channel all its efforts into the management of day-to-day affairs.

Watad has been commited on focusing on vocational training as a tool to reduce unemployment and fight poverty , assisiting people to expand their capabilities and invest in their own skills for income generation purposes.

Training :

Vocational training programs focus on the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies as necessary equipment for the individual to live in adapt to the real work situation and contribute to the development of his society .

Vocational training is highly connected with poverty reduction. It impacts skills leading to the production of craft man, technicians and other skilled personnel who will be enterprising and self-reliant.

It helps face challenges and manage the impact of the information age which can convert an un- skilled inexperienced and illiterate population into human resources, as it is considered the best way to bring about longer lasting socio- economic change and self-development.

School dropouts and unemployed adults can also receive this type of education as it provides an opportunity to learn a skill and trade. There are many well-paid career fields in which a college degree not required.

This type of training provides stable jobs as these are the jobs whose demand is never fulfilled.

Online training:

Many of the courses we offer online will meet or exceed the required skills based on market need and assessment and that is not limited to a certain country , people across boarders are able to enroll and have the option of starting a new career. he bottom line is that this will give you an opportunity to increase your income potential.

Sepcial Needs Socialization and integration

According to “Assets Public Statistics” An estimated 10-15% of the Lebanese population has physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental disabilities, Lebanon lacks recreational parks that are accessible to children with special needs for the purpose of social inclusion.

Watad’s objective it to promote equality and foster social integration by providing children with special needs with the needed facilities that they require to engage in everyday activities and practice their natural right.

Watad planned a recreational project that equip all parks across the country in coordination with the municipalities.

This project ensures them to practice their natural right and play with their peers. This form of outside activities are crucial for the development of healthy children.