Originally home to around 1,000 residents, in recent years the town of Kfar Jarra experienced a significant influx of around 5,000 residents and 350 refugees from Saida city; yet the municipality still only receives a minimal budget to cover the needs of the original 1,000 residents. As a result, it struggles to provide essential public services, especially streetlighting. Amidst severe state electricity cuts, the municipality relies on private generators for backup power, but given the ongoing fuel crisis and price inflation, most neighborhoods are left without electricity, causing many residents to feel unsafe which has fueled growing intercommunal tensions between long-time residents and newcomers. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) is upgrading 100 existing streetlights with solar-powered LED bulbs, while also supplying and installing 20 new solar-powered streetlights at strategic locations across the town. By September 27, 2022, CSP’s contractor had installed ten sample streetlights before proceeding with the rest of the groundworks, which are expected to be completed by the end of November 2022. Overall, this activity will improve the safety among Kfar Jarra’s 6,350 residents and mitigate associated sectarian tensions, while equally reducing municipal costs by over $20,000 per year.

 “This intervention by USAID/CSP will reestablish a sense of safety and security in our community and will reduce the municipality’s financial burdens related to the operation of backup generators,” stated Mr. Maroun Chalhoub, Mayor of Kfar Jarra.