BRIDGE - Basic health services, vocational training, socio-economic inclusion and interreligious dialogue for the integration of Syriac and Chaldean
Lebanon
Status
ImplementationAid type
Project-type interventionsLebanon
Location
-
€ 1,317,747
Committed
Committed
€ 790,648
Used
Used
Description
In line with the strategies defined by AICS and the priorities of AICS Beirut, BRIDGE contributes to the objective of supporting minority Christian communities by responding to their basic needs, promoting interreligious dialogue and inclusion in the economic and social structure of the territory. It will act with a view to supporting equal opportunities, through strategies aimed at preventing and eliminating limits in the enjoyment of rights to basic services such as health care, training, access to employment (ref. SDG 10.3). Since 2019, Lebanon has been victim of an unprecedented crisis that has pushed more than 80% of the population below the poverty line. The political system is stalled, the economy in decline: the banking system has collapsed and the country has reverted to a cash-based economy. The crisis has had a devastating impact on the provision of essential public services, particularly education, security and health, but has also severely restricted access to food and other basic necessities. Although the crisis has affected the entire population, the most vulnerable and marginalized communities have been most affected, including refugees and members of religious minorities and, among them, women, children and people with disabilities. In a country where confessionality plays a crucial role in political, social and daily life, belonging to a religious minority is a limitation itself, since its members are effectively marginalized. The condition of refugees is an aggravating factor in the isolation of these communities, considered guilty of worsening an already precarious situation. Lebanon is the country with the highest number of refugees in proportion to its population: in this period of extreme crisis, the most immediate consequence is competition with the crisis-affected Lebanese people in accessing basic services and goods. BRIDGE aims to address the essential needs of members of two refugee minorities in Lebanon, Syrian Christians and Chaldean Christians, without neglecting interaction with the Lebanese host community. The latter is a significant pivot of the initiative: in order to mitigate tensions between refugees and host communities, all activities are in fact addressed to Lebanese as well as to Iraqi and Syrian refugees belonging to the Chaldean and Syrian Christian communities. The initiative has two outcomes: R1 intends to promote a peaceful and inclusive society through actions aimed at facilitating inter-religious dialogue and cultural and social interaction, and tackling inequalities in access to basic health services for target communities (SDG 16.1). R2 intends to foster the socio-economic inclusion of the Christian communities of the Syriac and Chaldean Churches in Beirut through access to vocational training, employment and therefore income opportunities (SDG 10.2). The 24-month initiative is implemented by Istituto Oikos in close cooperation with: Farah Social Foundation (FSF), a Lebanese NGO with extensive experience in training and integration actions in fragile contexts, and the Chaldean Charitable Society in Lebanon (CCSL), organization in charge of supporting the Chaldean community, both already partners in the SALAM initiative (AICS, AID 012590/05/1) aimed at combating the marginalization of the Chaldean Christian community in Lebanon; National Rehabilitation Development Center (NRDC), a reference organization in Lebanon in supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities; the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Charity Association (SCPCA), which provides assistance to refugees from the Syriac community.
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| Year | Committed | Used |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | € 1,317,747 | € 790,648 |
Agency
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| Government | AICS - Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development | 11000 |
Channel reported
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| National NGO | ISTITUTO OIKOS ONLUS | 22000 |
Project data
Sectors
Policy markers
SDGs
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