Two years after CSP started collaborating with USAID’s University Scholarship Program (USP) to provide students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Lebanese American University (LAU) with internship opportunities, CSP expanded its internship program to include up to 300 undergraduate students and fresh graduates from nine additional Lebanese universities which are partnered with USAID under its Higher Education Capacity Development Program (HECD). During their assignments, interns support municipalities, civil society organizations, agricultural cooperatives, and water establishments that are benefitting from USAID’s assistance in a range of sectors such as water and sanitation, rural development, education, and women’s empowerment. On March 23, 2023, CSP recognized the efforts of the third cohort of 76 university students and recent graduates who completed their internships during the last year in support of numerous USAID-funded programs in Lebanon. The ceremony at Le Royal Hotel in Dbayeh was held in the presence of the U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, USAID/Lebanon Acting Mission Director, representatives from USAID implementing partners, municipality mayors, and representatives from partner universities. During the ceremony, students shared the impact of the internship program on their lives through testimonials featured in a video, speeches, and a panel discussion.

“My internship sponsored by USAID has been nothing short of transformative. Through my work with CSP’s recycables management project, I gained invaluable experience that has contributed immensely to both my personal and professional growth,” stated Raghid Chender, an undergraduate student from Saint Joseph University.