As this past decade ended, Lebanon saw progress on many fronts on one end, but had to face one of the most challenging economic situations in its history on the other end.
These past few months in particular have been transformative for the country and saw hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people taking to the streets in an unprecedented revolution against a corrupt government, defective systems and in demand of lacking basic human rights.
Youth were at the forefront of this revolution, leading change for the country and acting as a beacon of hope for the rest of us.
Here at Nawaya, were remain committed to our work with youth, especially in times of unrest.
To that end, we have big plans for youth in 2020!
Empowering youth to create their own work and generate income opportunities remains one of our priorities for 2020, with the entrepreneurship program ongoing and evolving to meet the needs of these young entrepreneurs.
As a result, the program will offer more youth in rural and marginalized areas the chance to be heard, through Hakaya GIL. An inspirational storytelling event series which sheds light on the young heroes who through sheer will and perseverance, have managed to triumph over various obstacles in their lives.
Jawa2ez GIL also makes a come back in 2020, with the aim of supporting youth teams incubated through the entrepreneurship program, #GIL. This event series is a unique learning and networking experience for the young entrepreneurs, as well as a funnel opportunity into various sectors.
Last but not least, we're happy to announce the return of our mentoring program, which aims at connecting young entrepreneurs with industry specific mentors who can support and guide youth through scaling their micro-enterprises.
2020 will be a challenging year for Lebanon and its youth, but we remain committed to doing everything we can to support as many vulnerable youth as possible and help them get through these difficult times. Thank you as always for your generous support!
Hello!
The Nawaya Network, under UNICEF's Generation of Innovation Leaders program, works with underprivileged youth by providing them with entrepreneurship training. Since the launch of the program in 2016, we have trained over 5,000 youth, who in turn have launched over 700 micro-business across Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the South.
As part of our Alumni Support program, and following the launch of their micro-enterprises, we offer youth further assistance by linking them to mentors in their areas, particulrly rural and remote areas we operate in.
While mentors abound in the capital, Beirut, we are keen on building our network to encompass the South and Mount Lebanon.
If you are interested, please make sure to sign up here, or share this bulletin with someone who might be interested in volunteering with us.
Meanwhile, we leave you with Ghadir's story on how she turned her love for arts and crafts into an income-generating business, and how mentorship helped her get there!
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For 25-year-old Ghadir from Nabatieh, her involvement with the UNICEF Lebanon-supported Generation of Innovation Leaders (GIL) programme has led her on a new path in life. Part of a continuing series of GIL workshops organised by Injaz Lebanon and The Nawaya Network, July’s Jawaez GIL event gave participants the opportunity to huddle with mentors, network with peers, and pitch their project and funding needs to a jury. Ghadir takes up her story:
“I’ve always been drawn to art, and I’m well-known for sketching friends, family and the world around me. However, I never imagined it could become a business, nor that it could become my life.
I studied interior design at the Lebanese University in Saida, and now I’m following that with a course on psychology. Throughout this period, I’ve continued to draw. One friend suggested I add needlework to my sketches, and embroider the images I created. I was intrigued, so I learned the technique by watching hours of tutorials on YouTube and, having mastered the skill, I’ve sold more than 100 of my works across Lebanon.
Everything was going really well, so I established a business – ‘Craft & Art’ - but I soon realised that my skills in running a business were limited and this was restricting my opportunity to grow. To be a successful artist, I needed to learn some key commercial skills too.
I heard about the GIL programme, and realised it was created to help people just like me.
Before I joined the programme I didn’t know anything about planning for growth, or creating a business plan, or how to run an efficient enterprise. Here, supported by GIL mentors, I developed my first business plan and I learned about profit and loss accounting. I became a real business! I still do everything myself, I know I need to delegate some tasks – that’s one thing I’ve learned here through GIL - but I need to find the right people for this.
When I joined my first workshop I was operating on a very small level, so I was delighted to receive an initial seed funding award of $400 through GIL. With this, I bought more materials, sold more works, and used the profit to reinvest directly in buying even more materials.
GIL was indeed the perfect place for me to come to improve my commercial skills and scale my business.
I tell my friends about the help GIL has given me, and I’ve shared information with them about upcoming sessions. Now they too understand that even if they have only a small idea, GIL and its mentors can help it grow”.
Total commitment to her business and her future has been a constant thread throughout Ghadir’s time within the GIL programme. As we met her at the end of July’s Jawaez workshop, she confided in us that her own wedding was just four days away, but, she said, “there’s no way I was going to miss this. Even if I didn’t win another award of funding, I knew I would come away with so much more knowledge! And I did – plus additional funding too!”
Since 2016, Nawaya has supported over 5,000 youth across Lebanon, teaching them how to use their talents and skills to generate an income.
By focusing on design thinking, innovation, creativity and business development, youth come up with innovative micro-enterprises that strengthen their livelihoods.
This Thursday, Global Giving will be matching any funds $100 or more as part of July Bonus Day, so we are hoping that together with your support, we will be able to raise funds to help one of our youth, Hussein, grow his small enterprise!
Just a few months ago, Hussein was driving a mini-van for a living, transportating people from Nabatiyeh, South of Lebanon to Beirut and back. With recurring road closures, Hussein could not keep up with paying his taxes, dues and sustaining his family.
That's when he joined Nawaya's training in the South, where he came up with the idea of Sleem Fresh Juice, an unassuming business idea which he was able to launch out of his home kitchen, with help from his mother and brother and a two-liter blender!
The journey hasn't been easy, but Hussein drew upon his determination, passion, and grit to make his business strive. He still works through the night, every night, to ensure his juice is freshly squeezed while his brother helps out with delivery to schools, hospitals, and neighboring shops in the morning.
Today, Hussein employs four people from his community, along with his family members. He sources his fruit from local farmers and dreams of scaling the business up to expand his production as well as his area of distribution.
To do that, Hussein will need a bigger juicer and a bottling machine, so we're looking to raise a total of $4000. As Hussein's story is an inspiring one, we're inviting you all to help him go further and grow his business by contributing to this crowdfunding campaign.
Thank you for your wonderful support!
Hello Friends,
As we start implementing our entrepeneurship program for 2019, we thought we'd take the time to highlight last year's milestones and achievements, in numbers.
This quarter, we're letting our impact numbers and beneficiaries sum up the work we've done in 2018 through a one page visual report.
We've also selected three short video stories from youth who have successfully launched their small enterprises:
After war broke out in Syria, Hikmat moved to safety in Lebanon. To provide for himself and his family, Hikmat had to take odd labor jobs, working punishing hours, until he discovered calligraphy, and learned how to monetize it through Nawaya's entrepeneurship program.
Farah, a young Lebanese student, has experienced first hand the ravages the garbage crisis has had on the country. Through her education, she came up with a machine that recycles used cooking oil into biodiesel.
Young Rasha was born and raised in a refugee camp South of Lebanon. As a Palestinian refugee herself, her career choices in the country are limited. Through Nawaya's entrepeneurship program, Rasha has managed to turn her talent for writing poetry into her very first published book.
Thank you for your continous support and commitment to youth empowerment!
Links:
Hello Friends of Nawaya,
Happy New Year! We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful 2019.
As you know, Nawaya has spent the last few years focusing on providing employment and income-generating opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Lebanon. We have so far been able to support almost 5,000 youth, and hope to continue to reach thousands more in the coming years. We are currently in the process of compiling our data for 2018 and will be able to share with you our qualitative impact in our next report.
For now, we'd like to highlight a success story from a youth led enterprise in Sidon, South of Lebanon.
Founded by Mahdi Hashem, who is a professional football player, Pro Soccer is a football academy which trains young children to become football players.
Through the academy, Mahdi wanted to share his passion for sports with kids as well as engage them in meaningful activities given the somewhat limited options in his community.
Over the summer, Mahdi has enrolled up to 90 children in his academy, gaining repute and trust for his academy in the area. Following the successful launch of the academy, Mahdi is now preparing for the new round of training, this coming spring. He also plans to send his most talented players to train with professional premiere league European players.
Join us in wishing Mahdi all the best!
In addition, one of our youth from our Talent Program is in need of your support:
In 2013, and at the age of 9, Yasser caught our attention due to his beautiful and strong voice, so with the support of a generous donor, we immediately enrolled him in singing and oud lessons. As Yasser comes from a financially disadvantaged family, we also committed to supporting him with his school fees, food, clothing, and medical expenses.
Yasser is now 15 years old. Due to some challenging circumstances at school, he is now enrolled in a vocational training institute to allow him to find a job within two years. He continues to take music lessons with someone who has become like a father figure and a mentor to him.
Neglectful parents, severe migraines and negative influences are only some of the issues that Yasser suffers from. For these reasons, we are committed to making sure that he continues to benefit from our support until he completes his training. We have so far raised $1530, and need to raise just another $2000 (or $167/month). Would you consider making a donation to help Yasser?
Thank you for your ongoing support!
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