For Immediate Release
Media Notice
February 24, 2022 - Ambassador Dorothy Shea, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Eileen Devitt, and the Minister of Education Abbas Al Halabi launched the distribution of non-perishable food parcels at Uruguay Public School in Beirut today, in the presence of school teachers and parents. This initiative, under USAID’s $90 million Quality Instruction Towards Access and Basic Education Improvement (QITABI) 2 program, is to support about 145,000 students enrolled in grades 1 to 6 in all 883 primary public schools nationwide during the economic crisis.
In her remarks, Ambassador Shea stated, “For decades, the United States government has provided Lebanese students with the tools and the skills to grow and contribute to Lebanon’s prosperity. Today, though, Lebanon faces unprecedented economic, financial crises, on top of the COVID-19 pandemic. These dire economic conditions place a huge burden on the Lebanese people and among those affected are the country’s public school students. We don’t want the economic crisis though to get in the way of their opportunities to learn and succeed. So, the United States is broadening our assistance to provide these much-needed food parcels to school students in grades 1 through 6. By ensuring that students have sufficient basic food items, we are also investing in their academic performance.”
USAID has continually provided support to Lebanon’s educational sector since 2006. Through QITABI 2, USAID works to improve student learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy in grades 1 to 6, enhance social and emotional learning skills, and develop the capacity of national providers to deliver quality educational services. Activities include teacher training, the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process, the provision of books, stationery and materials, the development of digital content and resources, reading and math assessments, the implementation of a back to school summer catch up program and other educational activities.