1

2
 INDEX

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Addressing the needs of the most vulnerable communities in
Lebanon
1.2 Marginalized Lebanese communities
1.3 The Palestinian community in Lebanon

MEET NABA’A
2.1 Who we are
2.2 Our vision, mission and core values
2.3 Where we work
2.4 How we work

OVERVIEW OF NABA’A WORK

3.1 Our programs
3.1.1 The Child Rights Program
3.1.2 Community Development Program
3.1.3 Advocacy Program
3.1.4 Inclusive Education Program
3.1.5 Training and Capacity Building Program
3.1.6 Emergency Program
3.2 Nabaa’s achievements in 2008 & 2009
3.3 Finances
3.3.1 Partners and donors
3.3.2 Financial highlights

EXPERIENCES FROM THE FIELD

4.1 Our secret: passionate community workers and volunteers
4.2 Meet our beneficiaries

OTHER ACTIVITIES
5.1 Networks
5.2 Publications

3
4
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear Friends,

It is a pleasure to introduce our annual report for 2008-2009, which

has been a flourish and productive year. We strive hard to foster a
culture of child rights within our society, and we offer our support
to the most vulnerable people living in Palestinian refugee camps
and in marginalized Lebanese communities.

To those working in development a question always comes to

mind: what have we achieved so far?

Throughout the years we have diversified our programs to reach a

boarder segment of our community and to reflect its aspirations.
We always encourage contributions from stakeholders and
beneficiaries in our projects and when possible we join forces with
other community based organizations: we believe that sharing
expertise is the most effective way to achieve common aims. For
this reason we successfully initiated and built several child rights
networks from north to south; we have also produced and
published a variety of researches and toolkits based on our
experience in the field and we have brought our knowledge and
practical skills also at a regional level. On a national level we have
developed and strengthen good relations with local bodies and
municipalities, while remaining neutral and independent.

Internally, progress was also made in several priority areas. We

increased the level of decentralization within our organization and
encouraged our local human resources to play a more active role in
the decision-making process. We improved our Code of Conduct
and Child Protection Policy, and we set up an internal mechanism
to investigate failures to comply by any member of our staff.
Furthermore we modernized our accountancy system, we

5
 developed a new and more informative website and we set up an
IT and publishing unit within our structure.

We have come a long way, but much more remains to be done.

Your growing and ongoing support is essential for us and it is
bringing us towards a brighter future for our children and
communities.

For all this, on behalf of Naba’a I would like to express special

thanks to all of those who are making this possible: to the children
and members of the communities, to our partners and donors, to
our staff and volunteers. Every contribution is precious to us, and it
makes a difference.

Warmest regards,

Qassem

6
INTRODUCTION

7
 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Addressing the needs of the most vulnerable communities in Lebanon

Lebanon is undergoing unstable political and economical

circumstances, which cause severe problems especially to the
population living in disadvantage areas. Years of war and foreign
military occupation had devastating effects on the country’s
development.
The Lebanese government is working to improve the overall
situation and to promote social development: municipalities are
usually in charge to provide services directed to relieve the
conditions of the most vulnerable strata of the population, but as
the financial resources are limited, they face a lot of constrains.
For this reason non-governmental organizations such as Naba’a
represent an important resource to act as a parallel structure to
government agencies and municipalities and to offer important
services which are not included in the government budget. The
lack of financial resources is reflected, for instance, in the lack of
services focusing on supporting young people who drop out of
school, as well as programs to raise the community awareness on
human rights, environment and basic-health related issues.

1.2 Marginalized Lebanese communities

During the 2006 war the Lebanese private and public infrastructure
was heavily hit, nearly 1,200 people died and about a quarter of the
population was displaced. It is estimated that around half a million
people saw their houses destroyed or damaged and, as it is usually
the case, the areas which were most heavily hit were the most
marginalized and poor of the country.
The distribution of wealth among the Lebanese population is not
equal. While the poverty rate is very low in Beirut, other large city
suburbs such as Tripoli and Saida and regions such as Baalbeck
and Akkar host the majority of marginalized communities in
Lebanon. Unemployment is a serious problem among the Lebanese
population and it particularly affects the young and poorest strata

8
of the population: it causes poverty and at the same time it is a
manifestation of poverty.
The majority of workers coming from the most vulnerable areas do
not possess professional qualifications. Young people have low
educational attainment and enrollment ratios, and when enrolled,
they have higher school drop-out rates. Unskilled workers struggle
to find a stable employment, as they outnumber the jobs available;
for this reason informal employment constitutes a major source of
livelihood for poor families, which is spent mostly on food-related
items. Gender also affects unemployment rates and women living
in poor households are less likely to take part in the economical
life.
The consequences of this precarious situation are reflected in
poverty-driven symptoms such as child labour, over-crowdedness
of the houses and deteriorated environment conditions. The most
disadvantaged communities in Lebanon have lower access to assets
and resources, as well as basic infrastructure and services.

1.3 The Palestinian community in Lebanon

Lebanon hosts the
highest percentage of
Palestinian refugees in
the Middle East: around
400,000 Palestinian
refugees live in the
country -according
UNRWA statistics in
2008- and constitute
nearly 10 percent of its
total population. Most of them are the descendants of those who
fled their land after the creation of the state of Israel and the Arab-
Israeli war of 1948. Under international law they have the right to
return to their land; however they have no prospect in the
foreseeable future to exercise this right.
Half of the Palestinian refugees reside in the twelve official camps
located around the main centers of the country: Beirut (Mar Elias,
Shatila, Dbayeh and Burj el-Barajneh); Tripoli (Nahr el-Bared and

9
 Beddawi); Saida (Ein el-Hilweh and Mieh Mieh); Tyr (El-Buss,
Rashidieh and Burj el-Shemali); Baalbeck (Wavel).
Inside the decaying and war-torn camps the population relies
entirely on national and international NGOs for the provision of
education, health and social services. The overcrowding conditions
inside the camps are in many cases unbearable; despite a fourfold
increase of the population, the Lebanese government not only has
not increased the amount of land allocated to the camps, but also
forbids the inhabitants from bringing building materials into some
of the camps, to prevent
expansion and
improvements.
The conditions of those
living outside the camps -
and particularly of those
living in the “informal
gatherings” spread across
the country and mainly
located nearby the official
camps - are in some cases even worse, as in many instances they
do not benefit from the services provided by NGOs. As a matter of
fact, Palestinian refugees have very limited access to the
government's public health or educational facilities and virtually
no access to public social services.
The harsh living conditions are worsen by a high rate of
unemployment and systematic discriminations: by law Palestinian
refugees are considered as foreigners. Although a high portion of
them were actually born in Lebanon, they do not have social and
civil rights and they are prohibited from working in more than 70
trades and professions.

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MEET NABA’A

2.1 Who we are

Nabaa is a non-profit Lebanese organization which works

with Palestinian and Lebanese communities. We used to be part of
Save the Children-UK mission in Lebanon, but after its withdrawal
from the country in 2001, our local management team decided to
continue working to implement community projects as an
independent, registered Lebanese organization. Over the years we
have established new networks with local, regional and
international partners.

We work to empower Palestinian and Lebanese communities

to uphold their rights and build a better future. We aim at creating
an environment in which children and youth can develop and live
in harmony regardless of their religion, sex and nationality. That is
why we periodically review our strategies, mission and vision to
better address community needs and priorities. All our programs
are based on community needs assessments conducted in
partnership with the local population and stakeholders.

Among its staff Naba’a guarantees equal access to both

Lebanese and Palestinian professionals. Naba’a employs around
sixty five people – all locals – and our work is supported by over
100 volunteers – national and international.

2.2 Our vision, mission and core values

Nabaa’s vision is a society built on the respect of human rights and

one in which individuals are able to take control of the decisions
affecting their lives and to address collective needs.

Nabaa’s mission is to empower the local communities in order for

them to uphold the rights of children and youth and enable them to
play an active and healthy role within their society.

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 The core values and principles which guide our work are:

 Neutrality – we are not affiliated to any political or

religious constituency
 Equity and equality – we believe that our beneficiaries
should have the same opportunities regardless of gender,
religion, race, nationality or disability.
 Participation – we encourage the active participation of
all the members of the community, because we believe
that this is the only way to guarantee the success and
sustainability of our projects.
 Protection – we believe children are the future of our
society and for this reason it is fundamental for them to
be protected and grow up in a safe and inclusive
environment.
 Transparency and accountability – we closely monitor
every project and we are committed to guarantee the
highest level of accountability to our beneficiaries,
partners and donors.

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2.3 Where we work

Our head office is based in Saida and we operate in different

locations in Lebanon, from North to South.

13
 2.4 How we work
In 2008-2009 Naba’a reviewed two important documents – the
Staff Code of Conduct and the Child Protection Policy -
concerning the work of our staff: employees and volunteers are
required to sign both documents in order to join us.
The Code of conduct and the Child Protection Policy are based on
principles of transparency, accountability and the respect of human
rights: they reflect our values and impose a model of behavior
based on mutual respect and shared responsibility. Both documents
can be found online on our website.
Our Child Protection Policy guarantees the highest level of
protection possible and it sets specific mechanisms within our
organization to investigate and prosecute a person responsible of
abusing a child. According to our policy Naba’a has the duty to
dismiss the person at fault and also to refer serious violations to the
police.
In order to guarantee the full understanding and commitment to
Nabaa’s core values and aims, each member of our staff has to
attend regular trainings on human rights and good practices.
Our work is based on a highly integrated approach and
participatory management: we believe a good communication is at
the base of good outcomes. For this reason over the years we have
established a system which allows us to efficiently and promptly
share experiences among the staff. Our management team meets
regularly with field workers and project coordinators to discuss
strengths and weaknesses of the projects and to match practical
needs which arise in the field, with management driven choices.
We closely monitor our activities and produce punctual and regular
reports (financial and narrative) to donors and partners.

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Overview of Naba’a work

15
 OVERVIEW OF NABA’A WORK

3.1 Our programs

Nabaa is currently implementing six programs throughout

Lebanon, which complement each other to reflect our vision and
mission. Each program has specific priorities and needs to address:
in order to achieve its goals we therefore design and implement
projects to meet these requirements. We nonetheless make sure
that each project reflects our holistic approach to child rights and
community development.

3.1.1 The Child Rights Program

Child rights are a central theme for Naba’a and therefore this
program cuts across most of our projects. Through our Child
Rights Program we work to expand the community’s
understanding of children issues so as to enhance their protection
and to provide them with the opportunity to grow up and develop
in a safe environment.

This program aims at

analyzing the children’s
situation and at
guaranteeing the respect
of their rights. Through
field research and surveys
we investigate strengths
and weaknesses within
the local context and on
the basis of this analysis
we react with projects and action plans. Not only do we monitor
the violations of children rights in the areas in which we operate,
but through this program we also create effective tools to address
them.

Furthermore Naba’a looks at this program as a tool to collect

information on children rights and use it as a reference not only for
our work but also for the work of other actors committed to child

16
rights within the local community. For this reason we establish
networks with other local Lebanese and Palestinians organizations
and we exchange experiences, mutually strengthening our skills to
protect children rights at local, national and regional level.

Finally, the experience we gained through this program is precious

and it constitutes a training reference which we use on two levels;
on one hand we use it to produce training toolkits material on
issues such as children participation and inclusive education; on
the other hand we use it to train human resources on issues such as
child rights-based approach, monitoring violations on children,
how to write shadow reports and the contents of the international
conventions relevant to children.

3.1.2 Community development Program

Nabaa believes that in order to have a greater impact on the

children’s future it is essential to work not only with them but also
with the actors living around them; for this reason we develop a
variety of activities to support the overall community development.

This program seeks to

invest in the local
human resources so as to
empower its members
and encourage them to
participate in their
community life. By
improving the skills of
individuals, not only do
we allow them to take
control over their
personal lives, but also
we integrate them in the decision-making process affecting their
whole community.

We work primarily with youth, women and other actors of the

local community, such as teachers and schools, local NGOs and
activists.

17
 We provide young men and women with the possibility to attend a
vocational training course and at the same time we encourage them
to volunteer and to give some of their time to the community. We
build the youth skills in field researches and needs assessments, for
them to learn how to independently address the needs of the
community. We prepare young people to constitute the leadership
of tomorrow, by involving them in the management of social,
health and environmental projects.

We set up workshops to raise awareness on social and health issues

and we involve different members of the community in open
discussions. We encourage the formation of local committees so as
to lay the foundations for an active participation in the community
life. We train local groups to provide them with the skills they
need to foster good practices within their local community.

3.1.3 Advocacy Program

This program aims at raising

awareness on children rights, as
well as youth and women issues.
The main instrument we use to
achieve these goals is the
organization of local awareness
campaigns and activities in
partnership with NGOs, schools
and local municipalities. Naba’a
believes that including the
concept of children rights within
the educational system and the local bodies will improve the
community’s life in the long run.

The activities we implement are a step towards the full

implementation of the articles of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child. By advocating in favor of these rights and denouncing
those that have been violated, we aim at influencing the main
actors involved in the protection of the children, such as service
providers and decisions makers at local, national and international
level.

18
Naba’a is a member of the Higher Council of Childhood, and
therefore we take part in national conferences about the overall
refugees’ situation (Palestinian and Iraqi), and we advocate the
rights of the children mainly focusing on issues related to health
and social rights.

3.1.4 Inclusive Education Program

This program aims at improving the quality of education within the

local schools, by introducing attractive tools to motivate and
stimulate the children’s learning process. Naba’a believes it is
important to support every child in order to overcome the obstacles
which limit his/her inclusion in the educational system. For this
reason we promote educational techniques which take into
consideration children’s
abilities and skills. We
promote these tools within
the local community, and we
specifically target those
actors which are more
involved in the children’s
life, such as teachers, parents
and service providers (both
governmental and non-
governmental bodies).

The children which benefit from this program mainly come from
poor and difficult backgrounds and suffer from discrimination. We
provide them with a more friendly school environment and we
offer them support in
important subjects such as
English, Arabic, Science and
Math, so as to prevent them
from dropping out of school.

The overall aim of the

Inclusive Education Program
is to improve the capacities
of children and youth, so as

19
 to prepare the new generations to be actively involved in the future
of their community.

3.1.5 Training and Capacity Building Program

Through this program

Naba’a organizes trainings
and capacity-building
activities at local, national
and regional level to transfer
our skills and expertise
through our qualified and
experienced team.

On the basis of Naba’a

experience and specific field
research directed to identify the most important gaps, our training
units organize and conduct trainings for a variety of different
actors. We therefore set up educational activities for children,
trainings for youth, parents and school teachers; we develop the
skills of social workers; we offer consultancy sessions to local and
international organizations.

The training subjects

vary from child rights
and children
participation,
methodology to
identify violated right,
techniques to manage
and address conflicts
within the local
community, advocacy
and awareness
campaigns,
conducting needs assessments, planning and evaluating projects.
To support the work of our trainers we produce and regularly
update training manuals; our publications aim at summarizing our

20
 knowledge and at putting our hand-on experiences at everyone’s
disposal.

Naba’a has achieved 94 training days during 2008-2009 reaching

619 stakeholders
(animators, teachers and
social workers).
Children, adolescents and
parents are not included
in the table below as the
capacity building
program for them is
considered as activities.

142 community &

85 Governmental 302 animators and
social workers
participated school’s teachers volunteers

Training topics Duration # of Stakeholders & trainees Location Supported Date

workshops by
Training of 9 days 2 13 staff members of the Saida MPDL March
Trainers workshops General Union of 2009
( 5 days Palestinian women.
theoretical
and 4 days
practical )
Training of 4 days 1 workshop 15 trainers from local Tyre Finish June
Trainers NGOs Embassy 2009
Organization 6 days 1 workshop 9 staff members of Al Jalil Beka’a- UCODEP Nov.
structure center. Weavel 2009
camp
Animators 3days 1 workshop 30 volunteers representing Saida - UNRWA – July
training 6 local NGOs – summer Seblin Relief 2009
camp Training Department
center
3 days / 2 60 animators from 13 UNESCO UNESCO July
workshop workshops NGOs – Summer activities regional 2009
conducted office
on the same
line.
5 days / 5 212 volunteers from 22 Tyre & TdH Italy Oct.
workshop workshops village of Akkar & Tyre. Akkar and 2009
in Tyre and supported
2 in Akkar.
by the
Italian
Cooperation
.

21
 Minimum 5 days / 2 43 Governmental school 5 villages TdH Italy June
standard of workshop workshops teachers. from Tyr and 2008
Education Governor supported
ate by the
Italian
Cooperation
.
Quality of 3 days / 2 42 Governmental school 7 villages TdH Italy Aug.
education workshop workshops teachers from and 2009
Akkar supported
by the
Italian
Cooperation
.
Communication 3 days 1 workshop 25 social workers Tyre in The Dec.
skills & Peer representing 12 NGOs the Netherlands 2008
education Millinuim Embassy
Hotel
3 days / 2 30 social workers Ein El Jan
workshop workshops representing 15 NGOs Helwi & 2009
Naher El
Bared
Conflict 3 days/ 4 75 Youth (from Bibnein, Bibnein Norwegian Feb.-
Transformation workshop workshops Nahr Albared and Baddawi village Refuge Mar.
camps) and Nahr Council 2009
Albared (NRC)
camp
-Conflict 4 days/ 1 workshop 65 community workers Damascus UNISCO in Aug.
Transformation workshop and social workers , Syria coordination 2008
-Planning with the
-Child Rights Ministry of
Education of
Syria
94 24 619
days workshop stakeholders
s

3.1.6 Emergency Program

This program aims at addressing the needs of those who have been
affected by war, internal conflicts or crises. It is considered an
important tool in Naba’a strategy as we believe that in order to
build a balanced, just and dynamic society it is crucial to give
priority to fulfill the basic needs of all its members.

When a crisis occurs Naba’a is there. We distribute goods, such as

basic food and clothes.

22
When the crisis is over Naba’a continues to be there. We analyze
the social and economical situation and we intervene to help the
people to take control over their lives and to overcome the
psychological trauma they suffered.

We give priority to children and women: we organize psycho-

social activities for them and we provide children with safe spaces
to play and spend time together. We visit the families of the
children involved in our projects and we support them so as to
decrease the level of stress of the child within his/her family.

Currently Naba’a is engaged in a variety of projects planned to

support the recovery of
the people affected by
the Nahr el-Bared crisis,
which took place in
2007. As a result of the
fighting between the
Lebanese army and the
Fatah al-Islam group,
most of the buildings in
the camp were
destroyed and its population was displaced. The nearby Beddawi
camp received around 28.000 people: they found shelter in
schools, garages or shared apartments. The rebuilding of Nahr el-
Bared has recently started, but the process is facing many
challenges due to the delicate political nature of the issue. It will
take time before the majority of the people are able to go back to
their houses and start living again. Therefore Naba’a is in the field
to support them during the transition.

23
 Nabaa’s achievements in 2008 & 2009

24
3.2 Nabaa’s achievements in 2008 & 2009

Children activities
 1430 children participated in After-school classes
 120 Kindergarten children
 1050 children participated in summer activities

Child Rights Campaigns and workshops

 We took part in two
international campaigns for the
defense of the child: “The
international day to protect the
children from abuse” which took
place on the 19 of November
2008, and “Stop the violence
against children” which took
place in October 2008. Around
8000 children, 800 parents and
300 teachers were targeted by those campaigns. During those
events Naba’a produced and distributed materials (such as
brochures, stickers) and supported the children in writing and
sending letters to actors responsible of the protection of the
children (such as local offices of the International Committee of
the Red Cross/UN/and other international NGOs).

 We organized 6 awareness sessions about child rights,

protection, right to participate, right to play. Around 130 parents
took part in the activity, including 27 fathers. The sessions took
place in our community development centers and home stations.

 We organized 3 workshops on
psychological problems concerning
children (academic delay, the fear
and the aggression) and how to deal
with them. Around 80 parents took
part in the activity, providing them
with information and mechanisms
to help them communicate with
their children.

25
  6 awareness-raising workshops on nutrition, the protection of
children from abuse, raising awareness about the violated rights
have been implemented for 327 boys and girls aged (6-13 years) in
UNRWA schools (Nemrin schools, Al Shajara school, Ein El
Assal school and Al Qadisiyah school), these subjects have been
reinforced by activities such as drawing competition to see how
children benefit from the information.

Women empowerment
 We launched a variety of campaigns to raise awareness on
women issues in the Tyre area and the gatherings. Around 400
women took part in workshops and actively contributed to the
implementation of the activities as a group, enhancing their
knowledge on women rights and issues related to reproductive
health. According to our monitoring process, we assessed that 65%
of the women who took part in those activities felt more confident
and are able to advise members of their family and close friends on
the issues treated during the
activities.
 Vocational trainings for 250
school-dropout young girls (14 – 25
yrs)
 Awareness-raising seminars on
women's rights and their impact on
women on one hand and on their
children on other hand. 36 of
mothers and young women took part in these sessions, held by
specialists in women's rights.
 A series of sessions about
violence, Lebanese labor law,
violence against woman,
Menstruation, women infections, and
discrimination were achieved with
242 girls in El Buss and Al Rashidieh
camps.

26
Advocacy within governmental bodies
 In 2008-2009 Naba’a played a more active role within the
Higher Council for Childhood. This organ, constituted under
MOSA, is divided into different committees which are specialized
in different themes. During 2008-2009 Naba’a contributed to the
work of many committees.
 Naba’a strengthens its collaboration with the Ministry of
Education and UNRWA. In 2008-2009 we reached 39 schools (31
governmental and 8 UNRWA schools) and the activities we
implemented received important contributions from these two
important stakeholders, which not only gave their approval but also
took part in the planning process.
 Naba’a in collaboration with UNESCO and the Syrian Ministry
of Education organized a 1-week training in Damascus for local
NGOs which work with Iraqi refugee children. The training
covered the Convention on the Rights of the Child, how to
communicate with children in a constructive way and how to plan
and evaluate activities.
 We succeed in coordinating with 14 municipalities to
strengthen their role within the educational system. We encouraged
these municipalities to play a more active role and to fill the
educational gaps especially as far as recreational activities such as
art, computer and sport are concerned.

Advocacy activities with families and schools

 Naba’a carried forward advocacy activities in schools in Tyre,
Saida and the north area. Teachers and people in charge of the
educational system were involved in activities through which they
gain a better understanding of the negative implications that a non-
inclusive environment
and educational system
can have on the
development of the child.
The main achievement of
this project connected to
our advocacy program
was to improve the
standards of education in
Lebanese schools as well
as UNRWA schools, for

27
 the benefit of around 8000 children.
 5 training workshops on how to make toys for 95 mothers
coming from difficult economic backgrounds and so unable to
purchase them. Furthermore we set up 3 workshops involving 63
mothers to discuss the importance of playing for the development
of the child.
 As children and parents do not eat balanced meals and they are
not aware of basic issues related to children's safety, throughout
the year we set up around 60 workshops on nutrition, health and
minor injuries; around 500 parents attended these workshops.
Furthermore we periodically carry forward home visits to the
families of the children who take part in Nabaa’s activities, to
follow-up the children and to observe their behavior within the
family environment. Thanks to our awareness sessions parents
became more aware of the importance of child protection and rates
of violence within the families decreased.
 The Community Development Center in Rashydieh
coordinated 9 meetings in UNRWA schools between parents and
school staff. Around 100 parents attended the meetings which
contributed to facilitate communication and understanding between
the parties in order to improve the educational situation of children
and to bringing some dropped out children back to the schools. The
relation between the children and their teachers improved and the
percentage of children who successfully passed the final exams
increased.

Emergency
 We rehabilitated the shelters of around 400 families living in
Beddawi camp and its surrounding and who had been displaced in
2007 due to the Nahr El-Bared crises. The living conditions of
these families improved and they are now less vulnerable.
 We distributed essential goods to the families living in Nahr
El-Bared and Beddawi Camp for around 12000 people: due to the
poor living conditions, the diet of the children often lacks fresh
fruit and meat which is essential for their development.
Furthermore, we distributed underwear to around 1400 children
and shoes to 1733 children living in Nahr El-Bared.

28
 The recent and ongoing reconstruction of the “Muhajareen”
area project inside Naher El-Bared camp, where 105 shelters will
be rebuilt in partnership with Norwegian Refugee Council/ NRC.
 We provided psychological support to 150 children and 55
women living in Nahr El-Bared and Beddawi Camp. Part of the job
of our social workers working in the centers is to identify those
cases which need to be referred to a psychologist. Our
psychologists then suggest the best activities to set up in the
centers in order to support the rehabilitation of our beneficiaries
and foster their integration in the community life.

Networks
 Naba’a established two Child Protection Networks (one in the
North and one in Tyre) and one Child Rights Network in Saida.
These networks of Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs constitute an
active tool to advocate the rights of the children in the targeted
areas. 10 NGOs in the North and 16 NGOs in the South were
involved in a series of activities, workshops and agreements which
focused on creating a safer environment for children.
 We became a member of HAP (Humanitarian Accountability
Partnership) which aims at building safer non-governmental
organizations, so as to prevent abuses and violence in the same
bodies which should take care of the children. In 2008-2009 on the
basis of this new membership and to comply with its standards,
Naba’a reviewed and improved its Code of Conduct and its Child
Protection Policy.
 Nabaa became a member of the Inter-agency Network for
Education in Emergencies (INEE). We started documenting (the
process is ongoing) Nabaa’s experience in education and to
develop a package of minimum standard of education to address
problems and obstacles. Naba’a set up 16 workshops for 220
teachers to enhance their skills in dealing with children coming
from difficult backgrounds and in particular with children affected
by war or emergency situation.

29
 3.3 Finances

3.3.1 Partners and donors

None of Nabaa’s achievements would have been possible without the

support of our partners and donors. We design and implement our
projects both independently and with partners. We believe working in
partnership with organizations committed to the same goals is an
enriching experience with advantages for both parties and especially for
the beneficiaries.

THANKS FOR THOSE WHO SUPPORT OUR ACTIVITIES.

3.3.2 Financial highlights

Nabaa makes sure that all the donations we receive are used responsibly
and directly to finance the implementation of the projects. As shown in
the chart below, the full financial statement is available upon request by
contacting Naba’a Finance Manager/ Mr. A’laa Hourani or by emailing
ahourani@nabaa-lb.org.

Financial Report 2008

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Financial Report 2009

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 Experiences from the field

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4 EXPERIENCES FROM THE FIELD

4.1 Our secret: passionate community workers and volunteers

Nabaa’s work would not be possible without our energetic field

workers and our committed volunteers. Each project is unique and
so is the team in charge of its implementation. Today Nabaa can
count on highly experienced and skilled human resources to
implement its projects, such as community workers, teachers,
psychologists, doctors and health advisors, advocacy officers and
logistics.

‘’ Alia, 26 – Community Worker, Ein El-Helweh

“Before working with Naba’a I studied Educational Psychology
and I thought at the end of my studies I would have worked in a private
school, to support privileged children. Being Lebanese, I did not plan to
work in the camps. Nabaa encourages not only Palestinian but also
Lebanese to work and volunteer and since the very beginning I felt at
ease working with Nabaa’s staff. My way of thinking regarding
Palestinians living in Lebanon changed completely and I have many
Palestinian friends now. I think Naba’a is doing a great job in bringing
the two communities closer, because only by working side by side
sharing the same aims, Lebanese and Palestinians get to know and
therefore respect each other more.”

‘’ Mohamed, 24 - Community Worker, Nahr El-Bared

“I joined Naba’a 5 years ago and I enjoy my job very much. I
work with children and youth as well as their families and I enjoy the
fact that I can see clearly the good impact that Naba’a activities have on
them. I like the way Naba’a works because the activities are very
different and they target different groups of the community addressing
different needs. Since I joined Naba’a I am more familiar with the
concepts related to human rights and children rights; I believe it is
important to continue to spread such information in the local community.
Thanks to my job in Naba’a I have a different attitude towards my family
and I feel they listen more to my opinions, because, among others, I
gained useful skills on how to communicate better with people.”

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 ‘’ Tarek, 19 years old, Volunteer, Ein El-Helweh
“I joined Naba’a two years ago, through a
friend. Before I used to volunteer for other NGOs, but I chose to work for
Naba’a because here all the activities are better planned and well
organized. I really enjoy helping with the organization of the workshops
on how to communicate with children and peers: I think they are very
useful for young people but also for parents. These activities are
precious because they teach how to actively manage conflicts within the
community.

Since I joined Naba’a I changed the way I behaved with children and
people in general. Also the relation with my family changed: I know how
to communicate with my parents in a more constructive way now, and I
feel they respect me more and take my opinions into consideration. They
give me more responsibilities and I get on with my brothers and sisters
better.
I also had the opportunity to travel and to meet people from different
cultures and religions. For example during a summer camp we spent
some time with young Christians from a village in the North of Lebanon.
I became good friend with many of them and it was good to exchange
ideas and find out that we are not different after all.

Now I am more involved in the community life and I want to continue

volunteering and working for the benefit of the community. I talk with my
friends about Nabaa and I bring new volunteers when I can. Also with
friends in the neighborhood I discovered new things to talk about other
than the usual topics.”

‘’ Latifa, 23 – Volunteer, Jal al-Baher (Tyre gathering)

“I live in Jal al-Baher , which is considered to be one of the
worst gatherings in Tyre; there are no activities for girls, no training
centers, no schools, no spaces for youth. Naba’a gives children and
youth the possibility to express themselves and to enjoy their time with
educational and recreational activities which improve the quality of the
everyday life. That is why about one year ago I decided to start to
volunteer with Naba’a and do my best to support its activities. I help in
setting up workshops about communication skills and child rights.
Naba’a staff is very supportive and they always treat me with respect. I
always try to discuss what I do and what I learn with my family and
friends and my parents became more open minded than they used to be.”

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4.2 Meet our beneficiaries

‘’ Farah, 12 years old, Sponsorship Program

“I love coming to Nabaa’s centers, because the teachers are
always nice to me and listen to me with patience. They never scream or
hit us and they really care about what we learn. If we have difficulties
they help us, and if we are slower they support us without making us feel
bad about it. I also like activities like going camping with the other
children: this year we spent 4 days camping and I made some friends
from different places. During those days I learnt the meaning of
citizenship and peace, we talked about the civil war in Lebanon and we
shared experiences.”

‘’ Fatmi, mother of two children in the Sponsorship Program

“I’ve been involved in Naba’a activities since 2001. Two of my
children go to the centers and are part of the Sponsorship Program. My
children really enjoy going to the centers and since they joined the
program I can see they are less shy and more confident. I also took part
in workshops on children and violence and also in reproductive health
workshops. All these activities were very useful and in particular after
the workshops on reproductive health I taught my daughters about things
that are not usually discussed.”

‘’
Nour, 14 years old, Sponsorship Program
“Before joining Naba’a I stayed at home for one year and a half.
I was not doing anything and not meeting other children. Now I have a
busy schedule during the week, I learnt to read and write Arabic and I
started to learn English. I meet friends and I am more confident to talk
with them. I also like the non-formal activities organized for the children
and especially the trips. I never travel anywhere with my family and with
Naba’a I have the chance to see new places and spend time with other
children. Before I was spending all my time with my mother and helping
her in the house.

My mother also started to come to Nabaa’s centers sometimes. She took

part in awareness sessions and her behavior with me, my brothers and
sisters changed a lot: she is more patient with us now, and she
understands that our education is very important.”

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 Other activities

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5 Other activities

5.1 Networks

Throughout the years we joined many networks of organizations:

we believe that joining forces with organizations that share our
values and mission is the most successful way to address the needs
of the communities. Naba’a is a member of the following
networks:

 HAP International
 The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)
 The Idealist Group
 World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS)
 The World Wide Summit Foundation

5.2 Publications

The following is a list of Nabaa’s publications in 2008-2009. A

copy of these documents can be obtained by sending an e-mail to
admin@nabaa-lb.org.

Studies

“Impediments and Problems “Drugs Addiction (in old town

Facing Palestinian Children and of Saida city)” 2009
Youth in Lebanon” 2009

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 “The psychological impact of “Violence against Palestinian
the war on NBC children”, 2008 Children in Lebanon (Ein Al-
Helweh Camp)”, 2008

“One year on: situational “Monitoring child rights

analysis in Nahr el-Bared”, toolkit”, 2008
2008

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 Magazines

3rd Issue, January 2008 4th Issue, June 2009

Posters

“Women “Youth Initiatives” 2009 “School Without Walls”

empowerment” 2008 2009

“Remedial Education”, “Word Refugee Day”, “Sponsorship”, 2008

2009 2009

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 www.nabaa-lb.org

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