The right storytelling can be a powerful tool in educating and informing the public about the state of the refugees, and foster accountability on the part of the authorities, promoting justice and equity.

In Lebanon, the second round of the “Covering Refugee Stories” workshop has been organised from May 30 to June 3 in cooperation with the Al Jazeera Media Institute.

Fourteen Syrian and Lebanese journalists, of whom 50% were women, learned the necessary tools and skills to cover refugees’ stories in a professional and humane manner. This included advice on how to plan their stories, how to conduct themselves ethically in the field and document human rights abuses.

The opportunity that CFI gave us, to get training on covering refugee issues, allowed us to see from a professional angle the coverage of all human rights issues. For me, the most beautiful part was learning how to humanize the subjects and numbers. During the training workshop, the trainer focused on the strength of the journalist and his ability to change the balance of power, and advocate for refugee issues by covering them properly, emphasizing that the press is the fourth authority in society. The trainer not only gave us information about how to cover refugee issues, but also made us benefit from his field experience, highlighting the challenges that we can face when reporting.

Joelle Abdel Aaal - freelance journalist (Lebanon)

Giving vulnerable groups the appropriate knowledge at the appropriate time is a form of empowerment. It gives individuals the ability to decide what is best for themselves and their families and can make the difference between being a victim and a survivor.

In Lebanon, Qudra 2 works with the online media initiative Sharika Wa Laken (SWL) to make sure women have access to reliable information aiming to strengthen social cohesion/stability between communities. So far, four informative awareness-raising videos on violence against women and girls, women’s rights and online gender-based violence have been produced and disseminated, reaching more than 35,500 people. Besides articles, infographics, video-graphs and photo stories have been disseminated on different platforms.

SWL supports refugee women and adolescent girls by creating daily content to raise women’s awareness of their rights. They tell women’s stories that speak to every woman and girl, highlighting their needs, and sharing their experiences with a message to reassure women’s presence and protection on online and offline platforms.

In its capacity as a dependable organization to whom women and girls can turn when in need of assistance, SWL also disseminates resources that can help people overcome injustices. In addition to listening to their suffering, SWL directs women to other reputable organizations that offer economic, social, legal, and psychiatric help.

While Lebanon is going through an economic and social crisis, community demands are growing while poverty is expanding, leading to conflicts across communities.

In its work, SWL emphasizes how important social cohesion and peacebuilding are in hard times for both refugees and host communities and how important women’s roles are in this area.

100 children worked together to paint a massive mural in Doueir Public School in Lebanon. The mural allowed the children to express their feelings, hopes and dreams for the future. In parallel, our local partner Mouvement Social also conducted various activities to keep the children engaged in social activities and support them in releasing stress and other negative emotions.

Before the event, the children participated in a briefing session with a team of artists from the organisation Artolution, guiding the children during the painting process. During the briefing session, the children expressed their connection and attachment to their families, homes, and dreams for the future through drawings.

The mural reflects the children’s beliefs by showcasing what is most important to them.

Expertise France organised the event in close partnership with Mouvement Social, Doueir Social Development Centre (affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs), Doueir Public school, Doueir municipality and the Artolution team.

In Lebanon, the Qudra 2 programme reinforces the national protection system by supporting the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and improving the protection of vulnerable populations among refugees and host communities.

While mothers were busy making the most delicious chocolate and sweets for their children, kids enjoyed drawing, painting, puppet shows and creating “recycled art”.

Our local partners, Tabitha Relief and Development and Expertise France, in close coordination with the Ministry of Social Affairs and its Social Development Centres, continue to provide Arts & Crafts sessions to vulnerable children and women living in the regions of Choueifat (Aley), Baysour (Aley) and Chhim (Chouf), Mount Lebanon.

“Recycled arts”, drawing, painting, and puppet shows boost children’s creativity while they learn from each other. The sessions are designed to expand their imagination, explore their emotions, and develop life skills such as problem-solving, self-expression, and identifying their abilities and interests. Children gain confidence by communicating and uncovering their hidden talents as they learn to express who they are.

Opposite to where the young artists are working, you see women engaged in sweet and chocolate making and music therapy or participating in gardening sessions and loom knitting sessions. Especially for sweets and chocolate making, a safe space is provided for women to gain knowledge and improve their skills to enhance access to income-creating opportunities.

One of the 14 women who participated in the sweets and chocolate making has started her own business with her signature healthy recipes.

Qudra 2, with its partners, supports women to improve their self-awareness, reduce their stress and build self-esteem that will all contribute to improving their emotional well-being and economic opportunities.

“He is no longer afraid of people around him and playing with other children. Alhamdulillah, I see him happy,” says Ibrahim’s mother.

Ibrahim is a 10-year-old Syrian boy whose life has been affected by a conflict older than himself. He lives with his family in an informal tent settlement in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. When he joined the first group of children who participated in the psychosocial support sessions (PSS), he was reluctant to participate, play or draw something as his physical disability made these activities more difficult.

With time, however, Ibrahim’s peers encouraged him to join the others in play. They showed him how to draw, write and use colouring pencils. After several sessions, Ibrahim loved participating in the sessions. He is now self-confident, social, and no longer afraid of others!

Ibrahim’s mother says: “I am very proud of my son’s progress. His life has changed completely. These sessions had a remarkable and positive impact on his personality. He is no longer afraid of people around him and playing with other children. Alhamdulillah, I see him happy.”

The sessions provided in Social Development Centres are tailored to the children. Play and recreational activities provide opportunities for personal and social development. At the same time, children learn about topics such as their rights and public and personal hygiene through interactive activities and discussions.

In cooperation with our local partners Terre des Hommes, Abaad and Afel Liban, Qudra 2 provides children with a safe space to interact with their peers, express themselves, deal with their emotions and release their negative feelings. In times of crisis this is particularly important when many families’ - especially children’s - vulnerabilities, increase.