Khirbet Daoud is located in the northern Akkar Governorate and is home to around 1,500 Lebanese residents and 5,000 Syrian refugees. The sustained presence of a large refugee population significantly depleted already weak infrastructure and increased the demand for public service. Coupled with a nationwide economic crisis and an unreliable, low-voltage electricity distribution network, residents’ need for steady electricity with acceptable voltage was not met. Given the overwhelming Syrian presence, communal tensions have sharpened over basic resources, especially related to electricity supply.

In response, in 2020, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP), in coordination with Electricité du Liban (EDL), provided the municipality with an upgraded electrical transmission system and installed a new transformer and earthing system to ensure reliable voltage and equitable electricity coverage. In parallel, and to improve municipal revenues enabling the financial sustainability of the new transformer, CSP provided the municipality with an automated financial management system and trained municipal staff on accounting principles, fee collection procedures, and the development of municipal budgets and annual financial statements. CSP also provided the municipality with a desktop computer and printer/photocopier to ensure the implementation of the new financial management system, the latter of which catered to the collection of all municipal fees as stipulated by Lebanese laws.

As of October 2021, the newly installed municipal financial management system has started generating municipal revenues for the first time since the municipality’s official inception. In 2023, and even though municipalities were still collecting fees according to the old official rate of 1,500 LBP to 1 USD, Khirbet Daoud was still able to generate more than 14 million LBP using the new financial management system. In 2024, the municipality will start collecting fees according to the market rate of 89,000 LBP to the USD, which will substantially increase monetary value and improve the municipality’s abilities to provide equitable services for its 6,500 residents.

“This USAID support has been the backbone for our municipal work. The automated financial model enabled us to generate revenue, design budgets, and generate transparent financial reports”, said Saad el Dine, Mayor of Khirbet Daoud.