Projects
Business
Post-blast, in partnership with the Backbone Initiative and 15 more organizations, KB-SAIL’s SME Team assessed more than 120 SMEs with 1600 employees in affected areas of Mar Mikhael, Gemmayze, and Karantina. By assessing needs and evaluating damages, the team helped in rebuilding and sustaining 40 SMEs.
KB-SAIL’s SME Team worked with a group of volunteers from abroad and from OSB-AUB to build a training program that supports SMEs from the Food & Beverages industry. The team used the needs assessment of selected enterprises to develop 6 tailored webinars that helped in recognizing local opportunities and opening international markets. .
Education
In the wake of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebanon faced unique trials: the catastrophic August 4th explosion and the devaluation of the Lebanese Lira. UNICEF reported that 163 schools were damaged, impacting 70,000 students and 7,600 teachers. Families struggled to afford devices, with some sharing a single smartphone screen.
Amid this crisis, “Their Right to Learn” emerged from the efforts of AUB undergraduate students. Refusing to accept education as a privilege, they sought to aid their community. They aimed to bridge the gap for Lebanon’s students and teachers.
Initially, the focus was on collecting and donating electronic devices to public schools. Then, in collaboration with KB-SAIL’s Education Team, the focus shifted to establish computer labs in partnered public schools. This shift marked a move from individual support to transforming entire spaces.
Their Right to Learn transitioned from securing devices for students and teachers to creating sustainable computer labs in each school. This project is a story of resilience, collaboration, and a commitment to ensuring a brighter future for Lebanon’s youth.
KB-SAIL’s Education Team embarked on a transformative computer literacy journey with 26 female students from public schools. Guided by dedicated computer science students, the program spanned five months and was held at AUB, covering essentials like Microsoft Office and Python programming. From foundational concepts to practical applications using the Turtle module, students delved into web development with HTML and CSS, culminating in personalized website portfolios.
The emphasis on hands-on learning, including lab sessions and individualized feedback, ensured not only theoretical understanding but practical proficiency. The team witnessed empowerment of these students as they built a robust foundation in computer literacy and programming at AUB, in addition to forming a connection with students.
KB-SAIL’s Education Team initiated constructive dialogues among educators, leading to a deliberate selection of the community school model. The main pillars of a community school are: partnerships with families, powerful learning tools, authentic community engagement, integrated health and social support to students, infrastructure and basic learning resources, and broad-based leadership capacity for improvement.
This decision, influenced by global best practices and successful implementations in challenging environments, served as the cornerstone for collaboratively crafting a shared vision with school practitioners.
Community Health
KB-SAIL’s Health Team coordinated with the Ministry of Public Health to facilitate access to Primary Health Care (PHC). The team sought support from the International Red Cross to replenish lost equipment and tools, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Karantina hospital administration. KB-SAIL’s Health Team collaborated with AUB-AUBMC’s professional healthcare workers, Lebanese University’s family medicine residents, and trainees to deliver healthcare services in Karantina’s PHC.
KB-SAIL’s Health Team believes that access to healthcare is a fundamental human right for everyone, irrespective of socio-economic factors. The team initiated an international movement; dedicating 4 months to the Karantina area, collaborating with families to identify healthcare needs and system gaps.
In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, KB-SAIL’s Health Team introduced “صحتن بالدني” (Community Right to Health), a fundraising campaign channeling proceeds to resources in the Karantina clinic. This campaign helped in compensation for community workers, providing medical supplies and securing long-term equipment.
KB-SAIL’s Health Team provided comprehensive efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team developed a framework for COVID Task Force units and crafted a management guidebook. In addition, a specialized training program for local nurses and doctors was established to enhance the local healthcare workforce. In parallel, to streamline communication, a dedicated Hotline for AUBMC was implemented.
The team’s collaborative approach extended to partnering with the COVID-19 ministerial committee on the municipality initiative, and collaborating with NGOs on a vaccine awareness campaign through social media channels. Last but not least, KB-SAIL’s Health Team facilitated vaccine accessibility by actively supporting a vaccine registration drive.
Primary Health Care
AUB-SAIL’s Health team, in collaboration with Damouras, AUBMC, DTCare and others launched a primary healthcare center for the Chouf Coastal Area (PHC-CCA).
The team started with a needs assessment of the area and field visits to elderly homes. Some of the elderly haven’t seen doctors for the past 5-6 years, so the team sees an immense need for health services in the area.
Center for Chouf Coastal
The team is recruiting medical residents, social workers, and nursing students to adopt the home health care (HHC) model. The goal is to equip the center, making it a welcoming space for inhabitants with social and health needs.
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Environmental Health
KB-SAIL’s Environment Team assessed air quality and contaminants in soil and other environmental samples from the affected communities.
Gaming Academy
Towards a Free Palestine Game Jam
Dates of the jam: Nov 24- Dec 10, 2023
Number of participants: 64
Games created: 9
“Towards a Free Palestine” is a game jam seeking global participation, particularly from Palestinians and the SWANA region, to promote inclusivity and creativity in imagining roads towards a free Palestine.