USAID Lebanon: From the American People
 

PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Before and after pictures for USAID funded renovated Stairway between Jabal Mohsen and Bab El Tebbane in Tripoli

U.S. Government Supports Tripoli Community Development

July 14, 2009

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Lebanon Mission Director Denise A. Herbol attended the opening ceremony of a rehabilitated public stairway, a new playground, and a library to serve the Bab Al Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen communities in Tripoli. The work was completed through a nascent organization based in Jabal Mohsen (Tripoli), the “Promising Hope Social Organization”.  The renovated stairwell (badly damaged due to frequent gunfights between the two communities) is symbolic in the process of reuniting the two rival and underprivileged communities of Bab El Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, neighborhoods which are plagued by conflict and poverty.  Students from the Faculty of Arts at the Lebanese University painted the entrance to the “Stairs of Hope” as part of their graduation projects. In addition, the grantee created a small playground for children adjacent to the stairs and turned a run-down kiosk into a small library to attract youth, children, and their families from both sides of the stairs. This USAID OTI funded project and supported by the Tripoli Municipality, encourages interaction between the residents of the two neighborhoods, benefitting over 750 people.  In addition, eighty young people, aged 16 to 25, will participate in a series of workshops on municipal governance, conflict resolution, and leadership.  Social and cultural activities, centered on the connecting stairway area, will take place to encourage an understanding of civic values and interaction.

The Office of Transition Initiatives, part of USAID, implemented this $95,000 project.

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