Livelihood Assistance Program (L.A.P.)

Brief description of the situation

Since October 2019 and the Lebanese people have been dealing with one of the most serious crises. With More than 80 percent of the Lebanese with no access to basic rights, including health, education, and an adequate standard of living, such as adequate housing and electricity. The economic and social impact of the crises in Lebanon continue to put a massive strain on the families. The number of poor currently in Lebanon has risen rapidly during the last two years and the unemployment rate has also significantly risen.

Metanoia Listening Center Role

Following the families need assessment in these parishes (Greek Melkite Catholic diocese in Saida and Deir EL Qamar), we are planning to adapt a Crisis Response Program by providing essential and immediate assistance at the local level, through:
1) Financial: Contribute or pay bills to promote families’ livelihoods in different basic need sectors and necessities of life to maintain a safe, healthy environment.
2) In-kind support: Help families to ensure the essentials necessities through in-kind donations refers to the provision of goods or equipment (clothing, food parcels, furniture, medicines, education supplies, etc.).
3) Correlation services: Offer services related to improve the access of family members to social support which are provided by specialists include: Effective listening sessions, Trainings, Awareness sessions according to the needs (individual and family follow up). Adding to Referrals services (legal consultation, parenting guidance, psychosocial assistance, job orientation, etc.).

Objectives

- Increase the livelihoods and economic opportunities

- Provide financial and in-kind aid by delivering basic services (cash assistance, pay bills, parcels…)

- Organize awareness sessions (capacity building, life skills, empowerment…)

- Improve living conditions and access to essential services (primary health care, wellbeing, infrastructures, education…).

Conclusion

The Livelihood assistance Program through these three components will be developed to meet the needs of each family detected through our home visits in order to reduce poverty and will be offered regularly in appropriate ways to sustain their livelihood.

Medical Aid Program (M.A.P.)

Brief description of the situation

The economic crisis had a devastating impact on the healthcare sector. The most vulnerable people struggle to get treatment or buy medicine. In addition, the hospital could not afford medical supplies due to their prohibitive cost. This poor condition has led to many deaths or left people suffering from chronic and incurable diseases. Circumstances goes beyond health care by affecting mental health services as well.

Metanoia Listening Center Role

Responding to the field work assessment that allowed us to detect the main needs of families living in our intervention area, we are preparing a project that provides basic and immediate assistance at the medical level to the families through:
1) Financial support: Help pay for medical and medicines bills, health care costs and debts, medical examinations, hospitalization (operations, treatments, consultations…) etc.
2) In-Kind aid: Help families in need by offering health care supplies (medicines, diapers, milk, healthy parcels (food, hygiene, sanitary…) etc.
3) Correlation Services: Improve the access of family members to medical support which are provided through: Effective listening, Awareness sessions in mental health to: Prevent mental illness, Training (self-development, patient self-empowerment, etc.), Referrals to specialized services or medical centers.

Objectives

- Help with the healthcare bill (hospital, drugstores, consultation, treatment…).

- Facilitate the access to medical / health resources (referrals, publication, sharing health campaigns…).

- Spread awareness sessions concerning physical and mental health.

- Support people with disabilities (specific cases, congenital medical cases, long term injury due to an accident…).

Conclusion

The Medical Aid Program through these three components could be delivered regularly through different ways, according to the need assessment for vulnerable people such as, beneficiaries with no money, low-income, or without health insurance… moreover, expanding humanitarian assistance for people struggling with high healthcare bills.

Mental health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)

Brief description of the situation

Due to the socio-economic deteriorating conditions and multiple crisis in Lebanon, many are experiencing severe distress and developed symptoms of mental health, learning difficulties, behavior disorder, and other signs related to the children, their parents, and family members affected their personal and professional life. The most vulnerable people struggle to access treatment because they simply cannot afford it (due to the expensive cost: of consultation allowance, specialized intervention and follow up, means of transportation, fuel, …).

Metanoia Listening Center Role

Metanoia Listening Center’s services include specialists with different experiences and professional competences, to ensure the appropriate follow-ups for beneficiaries according to their needs. We are currently providing psychological and social counseling services through our team of specialists, as social workers, case managers, and psychologists. These interventions can be ensured on individual, familial, group and community level.

Objectives

- Raise awareness sessions, for wellbeing, mental health and psychological first aid addressed to groups and individuals.

- Identify the issues and suggest possible solutions, by offering integrated services.

- Develop, implement, animate, and evaluate programs that encourage social inclusion, development of healthy lifestyle habits, prevention of addictions.

- Offer specialized intervention and follow up sessions (psychosocial support).

- Count on protection objectives to ensure that responses are safe, dignified, participatory, socially, and culturally acceptable.

Conclusion

Such actions of encouraging positive social interactions and facilitating participation play a key role in the psychosocial recovery of affected person and strengthen their self-image. In addition, it could benefit persons seeking help or suffering from any kind of difficulties related to mental health and psychosocial issues, and their companions as care givers.

Psychomotor Therapy and Speech - Language Therapy (PMT – SLT)

Brief description of the situation

Those past three years have been exceptionally difficult and stressful for Lebanon generally, and for the Lebanese educational system particularly. Up to 10 percent of the student population is affected by specific learning disabilities. Like most of the cases detected based on the individual and families follow up, there are a combination of one or multiple specific needs which is require multi-disciplinary professional team to intervene.

Metanoia Listening Center Role

Metanoia Listening Center in collaboration with the psychomotor and speech therapists help persons with specific difficulties through: Offering a specialized intervention session according to the specific needs, conducting reeducation sessions based on the assessment findings and using multi-sensory approach, Providing Parental guidance, tips and recommendations, improving social responsibility, protection, health, hygiene, and safe place.

Objectives

- Build self-image, up to each persons’ experience and evolution in cognitive, sensory, motricity, language, and emotional aspects.

- Achieve a high level of autonomy on a personal, social, and expressive communication.

- Empower and develop self confidence and trust in others to share spaces, objectives, within cooperative interaction…

- Support caregivers by raising awareness sessions on behavior, emotions management, and how to deal with cases and circumstances.

Conclusion

By working on these specialized services, we reach the unreachable children, youth, adult, and elderly, with specific needs in the region trough diverse pathways to build their capacities and enhance their inclusion in communities.

Spiritual & Psycho-Social

Brief description of the situation

Lebanon and its people have been suffering for more than two years now from a heavy economic crisis that not only changed their lifestyle and limited their capacity to make a living but also affected their mental health and wellbeing. Through this project, MLC aims to listen to others who seek help during difficult times and who are facing psychological challenges, regardless of their age and civil status.

Metanoia Listening Center Role

To come to the parishioner's help, the spiritual and psychosocial program was established. On one hand this program consists of making home visits to the families and the individuals who need it and on the other hand it includes face to face or/and virtual interventions with the participants. Those interventions being led by specialists such as psychologists, social workers, psychomotors, speech therapists… in addition to these home visits and intervention, this program includes spiritual retreats composed from many meetings, mediations, personal spiritual accompaniments organized by spiritual guides.

Objectives

Spiritual Accompaniment and Spiritual Retreats to whoever wants to live a journey of growth of mind and heart to change a way of life and live life to its fullness, guided by spiritual directors.
Psychosocial interventions and services through psychological, medico-social, mediation and social counselling to help people improving their overall mental health and wellbeing by specialists as social workers, case managers, psychologists, and other experts in these domains.
In the long term, every beneficiary can be helped improving and managing their own issue in: Effective communication, self-care, self-esteem, and sustained resilience to build a quality life through: a)Religious practices (spiritual retreats, accompaniment). b) Personal capacity building programs. c) Individual and group accompaniment and support groups. d) Mediation and awareness sessions …

Conclusion

This project includes any support that people receive to protect or promote their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. It doesn’t focus on one specific group of people. Each individual whether single or married, rich or poor, old or young can benefit from this program services.

Family & Life

Brief description of the situation

Building a healthy relationship is hard and maintaining it is even harder. The economic crisis and the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has had negative repercussions on the Lebanese situation and made it even harder for the Lebanese to forge and protect their relationships. Among the social repercussions was the decline in the marriage and divorce rates. The marriage rates in Lebanon have decreased by 13.5% and the divorce rates have declined by 11.9% in 2020 and that, in comparison to the divorce and marriage rates of the year 2019.

Metanoia Listening Center Role

Providing attention to the family is crucial and goes along with Metanoia's mission since the family is the cornerstone of human society and the foundational core of the Church. To come in hand to the Families and the couples of the 4 parishes of South Lebanon, MLC and in cooperation with the " Life and family Committee" put in place a project that consists of creating "Familial groups" and organizing and conducting " Marriage preparation sessions".

Objectives

The overall objective of Family and Life Project is to provide a healthy relationship between Christian family members by reaching out all people regardless of their marital status, and by raising children from an early age on Christian values and principles, so they can become active missionaries in their communities.
Within the framework of the familial groups the Family and Life program aims to ensure marital and familial accompaniment, counseling and support for the family members and couples who are facing conjugal conflicts or other problems related to health, economy, kids to strengthen the family ties and limit escalation to court by making room for reconciliation.
As well as this program and through the "Marriage preparation sessions" aims to help couples on how to read their relationship together, on how to consolidate their love and translate it into practice in married life. In these sessions the couples will be accompanied by experts and specialists in the domain.

Conclusion

This program will rekindle community life, will nurture interpersonal relationship with God and explore his transformative power in strengthening marital relationships and building relationships with others in community.

EDUCATION

Brief description of the situation

Lebanon economic crises heavily impacted the education sector. According to UNICEF 3 in 10 young people in Lebanon have stopped their education, while 4 in 10 reduced spending on education to buy essential items like basic food and medicine. Simultaneously our schools moved to online learning for over two years due to the pandemic. This new learning approach was considered an imperfect solution for a country like Lebanon with majority of students lacking access to internet, technology services and most importantly electricity. In short, the current circumstances and recent crisis are jeopardizing our kids’ right to ensure access to quality education, which is crucial for their social, emotional, physical development and wellbeing.

Metanoia Listening Center Role

As we are approaching the end of the academic year and the beginning of the summer break, we would like to share that our team in Metanoia is working together in order to find the right approach to support students in their education during the upcoming years. We are closely monitoring the education system in nearby villages through our research and direct connection with school administrators and responsible. Our team will put into action an educational and psychosocial support project, which will be divided into 4 different programs:
Program number 1: Student Retention Support Program (SRSP) Program number 2: Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) Program number 3: School Educators Well-Being Program (SEWP)
Program number 4: Team Members Wellbeing Program (TMWP)

Objectives

To support students in their education in order to maintain their active engagement in the current education sector and reduce the risk of them dropping out of school and put their future at risk.
To strengthen parents’ capabilities to create a positive and a safe home environment for children and equipped them with the right skills for supportive and secure families.
To improve school educators’ well-being by providing psychosocial support sessions, and build a network where educators can access knowledge and mobilize skills through their active engagement.
To help employees when feeling disoriented, by helping them to stay connected, active, and keep learning.

Conclusion

The project will establish a network where all stakeholders (children/ Parents/ Educators and Team work) can have the knowledge about existing local resources and how to make the most of it in order to serve themselves, their families and their greater community by providing quality education and improve their well-being through psychosocial support