About Us - Initiate

Initiate Core Values: Human dignityEXCELLENCEINTEGRITYRESPECTEMPOWERMENTINCLUSION

INITIATE works to empower local communities and to enable its members to uphold their rights and to build a better future for them.

Our Vision

” شباب ممكن , مجتمع محصن”
“Empowered youth, safeguarded community”

Our Mission

INITIATE is a Nongovernmental, nonprofit, youth-oriented organization based in Lebanon and dedicated to assisting vulnerable communities through youth inclusion and empowerment.

While keeping youth at the focus of its mission, INITIATE continually endeavors in creating comprehensive and inclusive programs aimed toward the Empowerment of youth, and its concentric circles of influence.

In the process of delivering its Mission INITIATE aspire to keep its status as a hub for youth allowing them to: access a safe space, acquire knowledge, and access a network of social and political influencers enhancing their social participation in decision-making processes.

Human dignity

PASSION FOR ACHIEVING OUR MISSION

EXCELLENCE

INTEGRITY

RESPECT

EMPOWERMENT

INCLUSION

Our History

How we started?

2011

The beginning

INITIATE was inspired by different voluntary initiatives and campaigns to support the refugees coming from Syria after the crisis started. Tens of volunteers were working within the campaign with the support of different donors like DRC and, WORLD VISION, UNRWA etc. INITIATE provided different kinds of assistance including Non-food items distribution for more than 3000 PRS.

2014

...

INITIATE continued to implement different initiatives to improve the living conditions of the Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS) in the Palestinian camps of South Lebanon. Besides, INITIATE implemented other initiatives to improve the social cohesion among the Palestinian youth from the camps and the Lebanese youth in south Lebanon.

2015

Funding

INITIATE also got funded by the Embassy of Netherlands in Lebanon and implemented “Creating Space for Grassroots Mobilization Project” that was implemented in Rashedieh Camp in the south.

2017

Partnership with GIZ

INITIATE is a partner for GIZ since 2017 to enhance the social participation for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon mainly youth. We participate in implementing beyond, fasbar and now part projects.

2020

Covid Response

As a continuation for the efforts done as part of the national COVID-19 Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), The Community Organization for Development and Empowerment-INITIATE ,Covid response Team is supporting and facilitating the vaccination process at the first center for vaccination against COVID-19 that UNRWA opened in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health, the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp.

2021

1001 Nights

One Thousand and One Nights Program, an educational and entertaining children’s program produced by BIG BAD BOO Studio, uses cartoons to teach (human rights, democracy, and social equality), implemented in more than 70 countries in the world and has benefited nearly 100 million children around the world. The One Thousand and One Nights Program is funded by the European Regional Program for Development and Protection under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark, which was established in 2014 with a double European funding initiative. The project is implemented in Lebanon by Initiate in partnership with Teach for Lebanon Association in 105 centers in Lebanon and 60 semi-free schools and aims to be implemented in 65 public schools.

2022

UNWOMEN

Empowering Women And Addressing Food Insecurity Through Women-Led Community Kitchens. This project aims to approach the food insecurity status of vulnerable women and their families through interventions, which will encourage them to shift to positive coping strategies, by providing one daily hot meal for families of vulnerable women.