In 2023, the USAID-funded Community Support Program (CSP) participated and won several international photo contests. In June 2023, two CSP photos were selected as winners of the USAID Energy 2023 photo contest, and in November, another photo was selected as a winner for USAID’s 2023 ClimateLinks photo contest. On February 6, 2024, an additional photo won third place in the global Chemonics 2023 photo contest under the theme ‘Development in Action’.

The photo reflects CSP training members of the Jebrayel Municipal Council in North Lebanon on the operations and maintenance of a USAID-provided generator.  Like the majority of Lebanese villages, Jebrayel has been enduring prolonged state power outages which forced households to rely on municipality-owned generators for backup electricity. However, the generators have either exceeded their lifespan or don’t have the capacity to cater to resident needs. With the deterioration of the national currency, the municipality lacks the financial resources to replace the generators.

In response, in 2022, CSP provided it with a generator that has the capacity to serve its 3,000 Lebanese residents and 350 Syrian refugees, and supported it to develop optimized financial operation models to ensure sustainability. The winning photo reflects CSP working closely with local partners and the communities that it serves as an important pillar of its approach to ensure the sustainability of USAID interventions.