Akkar Area Program

The Akkar community is located in a coastal zone in northern Lebanon and borders Syria in the north and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. It's a rural area where more than 80% of the population farms for a living. Of this 80%, the majority rent the agricultural land that they cultivate, which means that only 20% own their own land.

One of the main challenges to production is that the soil in this area is polluted. With no access to safe drinking water, most families dig their own wells. In the process, however, they often deplete underground aquifers, which are already polluted from the sewage running from other areas. Not surprisingly, the overall health of children and families in Akkar is poor. Children often drop out of school at an early age and help with farm responsibilities instead.

Education
General literacy rates in Akkar are currently very low, in particular among elementary school students. Many Grade 7 and 8 students cannot read or write, and most drop out of school instead of continuing on to secondary education. Parents are not able to financially support their children's education or help them succeed in school, due to their own illiteracy and lack of awareness about the importance of education. There are a limited number of schools in the area, and those that do exist have small classrooms, often lacking desks and chairs. There are few extracurricular activities available, and sometimes schools lack safe drinking water.

Health
The Akkar community has one of the highest mortality rates among children under five in Lebanon. Pregnant women and mothers do not have regular access to pre- and postnatal care services, and children are rarely immunized. Access to affordable and effective health care is one of the biggest problems here.

Water and Sanitation
People living in the Akkar community suffer from poor health due to polluted water resources. The use of pesticides, which pollute soil and crops, is common, and livestock are often not housed properly, further contaminating available water. With no solid waste collection system in place, it is difficult to maintain standards of hygiene and sanitation. Waterborne diseases like typhoid, Hepatitis A, and dysentery are becoming more common, especially among children.

Economic Development
Many parents living in the Akkar community cannot meet their families basic needs. Although many are involved in agriculture to earn a living, outdated practices and a lack of tools result in poor crop production. A farmers cooperative is needed, as most families can't access larger markets to sell their crops and miss out on opportunities to earn a greater profit.

• Provide schools with equipment and playgrounds to encourage school attendance.
• Improve the quality of teaching in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
• Organize life-skills programs in schools to help children gain confidence and leadership skills.
• Organize opportunities for parent councils, student committees, and school directors to work together to improve the quality of education.

• Increase families access to health care services.
• Mobilize parent action groups that will provide training on proper nutrition practices for their children.
• Teach community members how to lobby for better health care services.
• Train families in improved maternal and child health practices. Increase the number of schools that have at least one active health supervisor.

• Provide farmers with improved tools and training to boost their agriculture production.
• Assist in the establishment of farmers cooperatives.
• Help farmers earn a better profit through access to larger markets.