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, during the late summer of 2022, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) implemented an income-generating Labor-Intensive Work (LIW) cash-for-work activity for 366 residents across the three localities, involving a range of forest cleaning and clearing activities to sustainably mitigate the risk of future forest fires. Following the successful implementation of the activity, CSP and its local partner, the Rene Moawad Foundation (RMF) are currently expanding it to include the nearby village of Akkar el Aatiqa, which is home to 23,000 Lebanese residents. During the week of January 23, CSP and RMF teams engaged with the community to identify around 134 new beneficiaries to work in cleaning open stormwater channels. CSP received 320 applications and will select applicants according to pre-defined vulnerability criteria. This LIW activity in Akkar aims to benefit up to 500 vulnerable Lebanese residents, who will each receive financial remuneration over a 22-day period for carrying out the needed public works. By providing temporary incomes to vulnerable Lebanese households, this activity aims to mitigate tensions among residents whilst reducing the risk of fires in summer and flooding in winter.

“This intervention by USAID/CSP is not only creating economic opportunities for the community but is also reducing the risk of damage from flooding,” said Mohammad Khalil, Mayor of Akkar el Aatiqa.