Qbaiyat, Aandqet, and Akroum, in the Akkar District, were among the villages hardest hit by the 2021 fires in North Lebanon. The resulting losses stirred up sectarian tensions among residents, which were compounded by Lebanon’s ongoing socio-economic crisis and soaring unemployment rates. In response, CSP is implementing an income-generating Labor-Intensive Work (LIW) activity across the three localities, involving a range of forest cleaning and clearing activities to sustainably mitigate the risk of forest fires. As of the week of September 12, 2022, CSP’s local partner, the Rene Moawad Foundation (RMF), had successfully implemented three cycles of groundworks with 150 residents engaged in Akroum, 121 in Qbaiyat, and 104 in Aandqet, and had cleared approximately 79,000m² of forested area across the three localities. In line with CSP’s gender-inclusive selection process, around 60% of participants were female. Next, CSP will continue to implement an additional round of works to reach its target of benefitting up to 500 vulnerable Lebanese residents.

By providing financial support over a four-week period to hundreds of vulnerable Lebanese residents, this activity aims to mitigate tensions among residents whilst reducing the risk of fires for the coming season.