Kfar Jarra is a town in South Lebanon that was originally home to around 1,000 residents, but in recent years has experienced an influx of 5,000 residents, including 350 Syrian refugees from Saida city. However, the municipality’s budget is based on covering the needs of the original 1,000 native residents. Paralleled with the ongoing economic crisis, the municipality is struggling to provide the entire village with basic public services, including streetlighting. With state electricity down to only 2 hours per day, Kfar Jarra relied on privately owned generators as a backup source of energy to power the existing streetlights; however, amidst the fuel crisis, soaring inflation, and limited municipal budgets, the majority of neighborhoods were left without streetlighting services at night, fueling tensions between long-time residents and newcomers over safety and security. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) upgraded 100 existing streetlights with solar-powered LED bulbs, while also installing 20 new solar-powered streetlights at strategic locations across the town. By mid-June 2023, CSP had also completed earthing works to protect the streetlighting system from any electrical malfunctioning. This activity is reducing municipal generator costs by $20,000/year while improving public safety and security for Kfar Jarra’s 6,350 residents.

“This USAID intervention allowed the municipality to restore a sense of safety among residents by ensuring continuous streetlighting after dark, all while reducing municipal financial burdens and protecting the environment”, stated Maroun Chalhoub, Mayor of Kfar Jarra.