Lebanon faced an unprecedented economic crisis in 2020, with a precarious and unstable financial situation. Many people lost their jobs, while others saw their salaries reduced by over 50% due to the devaluation of the Lebanese pound against the dollar. This led to a situation where people struggled to afford basic necessities. The financial crisis also exacerbated the plight of refugees in Lebanon. Poverty levels in the country have more than tripled over the past decade, now affecting 44% of the total population, as per a recent World Bank report from May 2024. Households have been forced to adopt various coping strategies, including cutting back on food and non-food expenses, as well as reducing health expenditures, with potentially severe long-term consequences. The situation was further compounded by the ongoing war in 2024, which has worsened conditions for villages, families, and livelihoods, reaching a critical point.

Since 2019, we have been implementing food security projects to address hunger in Beirut, Beqaa, and South Lebanon, targeting approximately 87,523 vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian families. Our primary goal is to provide food assistance to those in need while also contributing to economic development in the intervention areas. The selection of less fortunate families is based on criteria outlined by the Ministry of Social Affairs and our own employees conducting field visits to assess factors such as family size, parental presence, and financial and health conditions. During the war period, FPOC established a kitchen to provide meals, including main dishes and salads, to Palestinian and Lebanese displaced families residing in six shelters and two camps in Beirut who lack cooking facilities. Read more

Adding to the fact that children living in vulnerable areas and in refugee camps around the country lack the resources to participate in cultural and educational activities, the government’s lockdown due to the coronavirus led the children to increase their habits of addicting screen entertainment and smoking. School closure has widened learning inequalities, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable children and youth. This situation is even worth in the camps and marginalized areas.

Believing that every child has the right for education and play, and because our mission states the support of the children and youth, and having as mission to focus on children, young people and women in the pedagogical and development areas, we decided to participate in alleviating the problem and to develop a hobby of reading, and to improve education and implement exercises taken from the school curriculum for underserved children, to give enjoyable alternative to bad practices in children and youth free time. For the mentioned above, we implemented the Mobile Library, Mobile School and the Molding Beautiful Minds Programs Funded by Kinder USA, targeting 8665 vulnerable Lebanese and refugees in Beqaa, Beirut and South Lebanon. Read more

Sport is a universal language that help overcome language barriers and cultural differences. Much research has found that sports participation can positively affect mental health. It contributes to reducing aggressive behavior and acquiring positive coping skills and it creates space for constructive dialogue. Sport unites, playing together requires collaborating with each other for a common goal. It helps to realize what everyone has in common: A passion for the game.

Since using sport contribute to ease the dire situation of disadvantaged children and youth in Lebanon, and since sport connects people at all levels, and it improve the psychological and social well-being of children and youth and to overcome risky behaviors which is in the core mission of Fingerprint of change, we implemented sports programs. Read more

The ongoing war in southern Lebanon and Beqaa has created a distressing environment for children, who are increasingly exposed to violence and fear. In response to this situation, a two-phase summer camp was organized to provide children with activities that restore their childhood and offer a respite from violence and fear. The first phase of the camp was successful, leading to high demand for a second phase. Observations from the first phase revealed that many children exhibited aggression, fear, and isolation, prompting the decision to extend the duration of the second phase. Read more

Lebanon, previously a hub for medical services, banking, and real estate, is now experiencing a severe shortage of medications for chronic diseases, with available drugs either priced exorbitantly or found only on the black market. This crisis is attributed to several factors, including a lack of global market confidence in Lebanese companies' ability to pay, the collapse of the national currency, and panic buying following the cessation of state support for medicines. Within our health program we implemented the listed below components: 

• Examination, Medical and nursing days, Awareness sessions on hygiene and health, in coordination with municipalities, Medication distribution initiatives funded by Kinder USA --- 

The health component resulted in time and money savings, better morale, better co-operation, reduced conflict, and decreased stress among our beneficiaries.

Migrant Domestic Workers rights and duties are excluded from the Lebanese labor law, the system applied is the sponsorship system (known as Kafala System). Kafala is an oppressive system that controls migrant workers, most of them being women. It requires each worker to be sponsored by a citizen of the country. That employer, also known as a kafeel, is responsible for the worker’s legal status and visa. When the worker’s term finalizes, the employer can either renew it or terminate the worker’s status, which necessitates the immediate deport of the worker. Most of them have their passport confiscated by their employer, have unlimited working hours, don’t have a private room…and are subject to abuse, without any support because of the discrimination. When the economic crisis raised in Lebanon many employers couldn’t afford to pay for their helper in dollars so they left them in the streets, or at the door of their embassies, but unfortunately the embassies couldn’t help them a lot, so many of became were homeless.

Since Fingerprint of Change aims at supporting women, we designed a program to help the migrant workers who are from different nationalities. We provide them with community support, in partnership with Egna-Legna association. The program started in started 2020, during which we targeted more than 200 women. The program included food and clothes distribution and help with their legal papers with the general security forces, for those who traveled back to their country. We accompanied them at the airport until they reached the airplane gate. Read more

• FPOC is currently distributing: Diapers and children Milk, women pad, clothes and shoes for all ages, blankets, water for drinking, the target is around 2500 individual.                         
• In October 2024, in response to the ongoing war in Lebanon, our organization initiated a comprehensive relief effort aimed at addressing the urgent needs of affected families. Recognizing the multifaceted challenges faced by those impacted by the conflict, we included essential items that cater to the diverse needs of the community like clothing, diapers and milk, hygiene products such as shampoo and personal hygiene items for both men and women. Additionally, we distributed hijabs for women, acknowledging cultural and religious practices while ensuring that all community members feel respected and supported.
• In September and will repeat it as a response to this situation FPOC distributed: washing powder, women's underwear, shampoo, veil, the target was around 2500 family.  
• In September 2024 till date, and as a response to this situation, FPOC initiated a kitchen and is an effort of Cooking and distributing for lunch a main dish plates (1,200 daily meals main dishes and Salad / Yogurt), to families who lack cooking facilities in the areas of Beirut, and mount Lebanon.
• In 2019, the financial crisis began to manifest in vulnerable regions before spreading throughout the country. In response, FPOC initiated a sports project aimed at distributing sports and winter clothing to approximately 300 children aged between 8 in and 18 years old in Beirut, Mount Lebanon,
• On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the Turkish-Syrian border. In response, FPOC launched a 48-hour campaign to gather materials and funds for affected families displaced to public schools in Syria. The initiative provided essential items such as clothing, shoes, medication, personal hygiene kits, mattresses, sheets, blankets, and carpets. Amid Lebanon's ongoing crisis and rising tensions between Lebanese and Syrians, this effort served as a message of solidarity and an attempt to ease hostilities between the two communities.

• “Strategic Linkage and Consolidation for Sustainable Collectives” 

Objective 1: Develop and implement training on core training skills and thematic technical skills in food processing and assembly line for lithium batteries, for 30 Lebanese and refugee men and women.

Objective 2: Create an Arabic guide to sustainable energy and lithium-ion battery assembly to assist young professionals in sustainable energy technology in expanding their knowledge and increasing their chances of innovation in order to ensure creative employment possibilities.

Objective 3: Establish a 50m² self-sustaining production space for youth and women producers with the aim of establishing 1 production UNITS in the field of food manufacturing - Bakery.

• “Community Nursery and Farm in Baddawi: LAND AND AGRICULTURE”

Build a greenhouse within the Al-Baddawi camp in Lebanon, to preserve seeds and raise a variety of fruit and wild tree saplings. This facility will assure the long-term supply of vital plant species, help sustain the ecosystem, and function as a community educational resource.