Beirut, January 17 2018 – Rene Moawad Foundation (RMF) announced the launch of 32 new municipal-led local development projects that will receive funding from USAID. The projects were selected following the BALADI program’s third call for funding municipal development projects in July 2017. This initiative will pave the way for a greater number of municipalities to submit projects that respond to their community needs.
The event launch, which took place at Le Gray Hotel in Beirut, was attended USAID Mission Director Dr. Anne Patterson, René Moawad Foundation Executive Director Michel Moawad, as well as representatives from municipalities across Lebanon.
The 32 new municipal-led local development projects provide support in the following sectors that meet priority community needs: access to better health services in rural areas, income generation through agro-processing and entrepreneurship, and public education, backup-electricity generation, and utilization of solar power to provide efficient lighting and to reduce household and municipal electricity bills. The projects will engage 32 municipalities and 18 local NGOs across Lebanon. The 32 USAID-funded activities are expected to improve the lives of more than 121,000 persons by the end of the BALADI program in 2019.
The BALADI project also assists municipalities to implement needed community development activities, especially those that are most responsive to Lebanese host community needs. This support will improve the capability of municipalities to work inclusively with citizens and accomplish local development activities and public service delivery. With this announcement, BALADI will be supporting a total of 87 projects in 23 districts in Lebanon while engaging more than 150 municipalities.
More information on the BALADI program can be found on http://baladi-lebanon.org/en
