PRESS RELEASES 2007

USAID Visits Projects Worth More Than $3,233,150 in the Beqaa

March 23, 2007

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Lebanon Mission Director Raouf Youssef participated in the opening of USAID-funded projects in the Beqaa on Friday, March 23, 2007. In Zahle, he opened a computer center at Dar As-Sadaqa orphanage as well as the first agricultural point of sale center by BioCoop Lubnan.  Mr. Youssef also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between World Vision Lebanon and the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) in Tal Amara.

The United States Agency for International Development – USAID, provided $13,150 to Dar As-Sadaqa orphanage in Zahle to establish a computer center.  About one hundred children from Zahle and the Beqaa area reside at the orphanage.  The assistance will benefit not only the children, but also community members who wish to use the computer center.  During his speech at the orphanage’s charity luncheon, Mr. Youssef noted that the center will “better provide children with a familiarity and experience with technology that will translate into marketable skills and hopefully employment in the future.”

Also in Zahle, Mr. Youssef opened a first-of-its-kind sales center of organic products. Funded by USAID through World Vision Lebanon, the center is affiliated to Lebanon’s first organic cooperative BioCoop Lubnan. The center will serve as a central point of sale, packaging, refrigeration and distribution of organic products.  In partnership with World Vision Lebanon, USAID currently supports the organic agriculture sector in Lebanon through assistance to Biocoop Lubnan. More than 120 farmers benefit from this project by ensuring a secure market for their produce, as well as increasing their income by twenty percent.   

In Tal Amara, Mr. Youssef witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Word Vision Lebanon and the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI).  The MOU outlines collaboration between the two organizations as part of the USAID-funded Sustainable Agribusiness Initiative for Lebanon (SABIL) project.  The agreement establishes: a) a certified nursery that provides seedlings and seeds to farmers; b) a composting unit; c) an insectarium to rear insects that are beneficial to agriculture; d) an extension service office supporting organic farmers after the grant ends; and e) an organic agro-processing and pest management research program.  LARI will play a crucial role in ensuring the future of the project long after the USAID grant to World Vision ends.

Among the projects that USAID funds in the Beqaa area are activities implemented by ACDI-VOCA (Agriculture Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance).  Such activities include assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives in the Beqaa, the provision of technical assistance to farmers and small ruminant producers, facilitating access to credit for farmers and other agricultural activities. Agricultural and dairy sectors covered include small ruminants (sheep and goats), as well as niche market products (cheese, pastries, pickles, jams, processed foods).  This project constitutes a total USAID investment of $6 million for North Lebanon, South Lebanon and the Beqaa, of which about $3 million targets the Beqaa area alone.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has worked in Lebanon since 1951, funding development projects to benefit Lebanese citizens. USAID’s program promotes economic opportunities, job creation, good governance and environmental policies and practices in rural Lebanon. USAID provides $40 million assistance a year and works in partnership with U.S. and Lebanese organizations throughout the country. USAID strengthens the relationship between the people of Lebanon and the people of the United States, and promotes a shared vision of democracy and socio-economic development. 

For more information about USAID’s projects in Lebanon, visit USAID’s website http://lebanon.usaid.gov.