Projects | Activities | Injaz Lebanon

Innovation Labs Network

Calling the youth to innovate and incubate, during Global Entrepreneurship Week, INJAZ Lebanon launched a pilot youth social entrepreneurship project; the Innovation Labs Network, that is supported by UNICEF Lebanon and funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The Innovation Labs Network project aims at empowering marginalized Lebanese and refugee youth in Lebanon. The project strives to give the youth hope in a promising future and to encourage them to get positively involved in their societies.

The Social Entrepreneurship Project gathered around 100 Lebanese and Syrian youngsters, aged 15 to 24 years, and engaged them in a series of social entrepreneurship and employability skills trainings across several labs in the North and the Bekaa regions. Students developed key skills such as innovative thinking, business planning, marketing, and communication that will allow them to address important needs in their communities. Program attendees were also organized into teams and were given the chance to design, and even run, a small project addressing a need in their community.

A total of 326 students have registered and participated to date and INJAZ Lebanon is gearing up to deliver training sessions in 10 locations across North Lebanon and the Bekaa. Out of these registered students, 19 teams from the North and the Bekaa Labs are being incubated and receiving seed funding to bring their projects to life. The business ideas vary between tourism, education, catering, and clothing, among others. By the end of the summer, we hope to incubate another 50 projects.

The Innovation Labs Network project is being implemented in the North and the Bekaa in collaboration with DOT Lebanon--which is delivering the digital training component of the project-- and in partnership with several local NGOs: Al Multaka Academy, Arcenciel, House of Wisdom, the Lebanese Association for Scientific Research (LASeR), the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST), Openness Development Association (O.D.A.), and Ruwwad Lebanon.

Adopt-A-School

Thanks to the Adopt-A-School project, funded by MBC Al-Amal, INJAZ Lebanon delivered a range of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs to 751 students across four selected public schools in Lebanon.

In consultation with the Ministry of Education, four public schools have been selected across Beirut and North Lebanon to be part of our newly launched Adopt-A-School project. Through the project , three of these selected schools were also equipped with computer labs in Mount Lebanon, Akkar and Tripoli. While, the fourth school, in Sebeel - Zgharta, underwent some renovation work to enlarge one of its classrooms so to fit more students. The selected schools in the different regions were:

- Sin El Fil Public School in Mount Lebanon;

- Miniara Public High School in Akkar in the North;

- Andre Nahas Public School in Tripoli in the North; and,

- Sebeel Public High School in Sebeel, Zhgharta, also in the North.

A big thank you to MBC Al-Amal for providing our school with laptops and setting up our computer lab which was a crucial need for our establishment. This era is all about technology, and now every student will be able to work on a separate computer which will help him to do his online research, work on his projects and be in contact with the world."

Sanaa Khoury, School Principle, Sin El Fil Public School.

During the Fall 2016 semester, INJAZ Lebanon took a first step in implementing INJAZ curricula through delivering the It’s My Business program, reaching out to a total of 61 students. The continuation of Adopt-A-School is expected to reach a total of 700 children and youth by delivering other INJAZ programs including Entrepreneur Master Class and Personal Economics and by carrying out renovation and setup work of the computer labs. Our sincerest thanks go to MBC Al-Amal for their fundamental role as sponsor. Indeed, Adopt-A-School project helped spread hope in the assigned schools.

INJAZ Lebanon program taught us how to plan for our future financially, how to achieve what we want and be responsible for it. I’m now more aware of what I want to be when I grow up. I really liked the program. Thank you INJAZ.”

Andrew Gerges, Student in Sin El Fil Public School, Participated in Personal Economics.

Khan El Askar Project

A total of 120 participants, aged 10 to 24, got the chance to participate in and benefit from the Khan El Askar Children and Youth Development Project in Tripoli during 2016, launched by INJAZ Lebanon in partnership with UTOPIA organization, and Souk El Tayeb, which addressed the women development component of the project.

Bearing age in mind, the children were not only offered educational programs, but they also got to enjoy a range of recreational and handicraft activities; as for the youth group, aged 15 to 24, they benefitted from a series of employability and entrepreneurial programs, in addition to English and computer literacy courses. This project, funded by the World Bank, is part of the Cultural Heritage and Urban Development Project implemented by Lebanon’s Council for Development and Reconstruction.

Skills4Life

Skills4Life is a two-year project extending from January 1st, 2014 until December 30th, 2015 that aims to educate and empower Palestinian refugees children and youth at risk of dropping out of school with the skills and confidence to unlock their potential, continue their studies and increase their employability. Specifically, Skills4Life’s purpose is to provide 1000 vulnerable Palestinian students aged 8 to 18 and attending the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools with an integrated program of targeted co-curricular, learning support and employability boosting activities. Skills4Life is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Welfare Association in partnership with INJAZ Lebanon and Unite Lebanon Youth Project (ULYP).