Monday August 17th, 2015, LOST and the Mayor of El Ein municipality, Ali Nasser ElDeen, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing on the exchange of 16 dumpsters to be received on the 20th of August 2015.
LOST bought together a Peace Steering Committee of five, consisting of Syrian and Lebanese key figures from the town like, community activists and teachers to communicate and eradicate the problem. The Peace Steering Committee, along with some youth in El Ein saw the waste problem was relevant due to the lack of bins and dumpsters in the town.
“For a community of our size we need about 100 dumpsters, hopefully aid will come to help better the living situation for the Lebanese and Syrians living here”, said Nasser ElDeen.
Al-Ein is a medium sized town that experienced a rise in population twice its capacity. After a study of the circumstances, LOST found out that there are around 800 Syrian families living in the area. A Needs Assessment Survey concluded that the main problem for both Syrian and Lebanese was with waste and waste collection.
This exchange is part of LOST’s project called “Strengthening Social Cohesion by Responding to Community Needs in Bekaa” funded by the Dutch Embassy. The Social Cohesion Project aimed to find the common interests of Syrian Refugees and the Lebanese community affected by the influx of the Syrians.
