Within the framework of the Youth For Tomorrow program, funded by the Government of Canada, Mercy Corps and Nabad for Development organization opened today the pioneer youth community center called Bussma (Arabic for fingerprint) in Barja.
The program aims at empowering and enabling vulnerable youth to help them better integrate into the society and expand their livelihood opportunities leading to a better future. The Barja center is the third Bussma center that Mercy Corps has opened in partnership with local nongovernmental organizations. Two other centers were also opened earlier this summer, one in Saida and the other in Tripoli.
The event took place under the patronage of the head of Barja Municipality, Nashaat Hamieh and in the presence of the Canadian Embassy representative, Aly Khan Rajani along with the representative of area deputy, MP Alaa EddineTerro.
According to Mercy Corps, the Bussma center will provide a safe space for teenagers undergoing profound stress and aged 12 to 19 years. The center will precisely welcome Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian youth who have and still are suffering from difficult life conditions like wars or social conditions that they cannot prevent.
"Youth are at the center of the Bussma project plan, and developing their skills is one way to help them build a better future for themselves," said George Antoun, Country Director of Mercy Corps Lebanon.
Accordingly, he explained that the Bussma project will achieve several objectives but most importantly will focus on evolving the life and vocational skills of youth to ensure their wellbeing and provide possibilities of better livelihood in their future. Antoun also explained that the key to achieving this objective is partnering with professionallocal partners and developing their capacity to use specialized teaching modules:
"Just like all our programs, we believe that creating solid partnerships with local non-governmental organizations as well as local governmental bodies is the best way to achieve long term sustainable goals".
The Canada funded program, which kick started in 2017, aims to support the psychosocial wellbeing of 20,000 youth by the end of 2019. To accomplish this Mercy Corps has partnered with the Development for People and Nature Association (DPNA) in Saida,Akkarouna organization in Tripoli, and Nabad for Development in Barja.
Nabad Organization is keen to provide youth with different trainings that can help them develop careers for their future, as explained by Hussein Shouman the Executive Manager of Nabad. He also pinpointed that the center will be a place where youth can freely express themselves, volunteer, and even lead their own social initiatives that they personally believe in advocating for.
"I believe that youth are the most capable segment of this society. At Nabad we have always revolved our work around them because we trust that they are the steering force towards achieving positive social change," said Shouman.
Furthermore, the Bussma center will also involve parents by giving them awareness sessions, to help them maintain the psychosocial wellbeing of their children. Sessions will include topics like positive parenting techniques, dealing with pressure, and preventing gender based violence.
In his speech, Canada's Head of Aid in Lebanon,Aly Khan Rajani said: "Canada strongly supports global efforts to ensure children and youth have opportunities to learn and reach their full potential to drive future growth in their countries and worldwide."
