THE LEBANESE ORGANISATION FOR STUDIES AND TRAINING

Vision, Mission, Values, Capacity, and Strengths

Vision

Empower and engage people in Lebanon to live in dignity and peace based on the respect, protection, and fulfillment of Human Rights.

Mission

Work with peopleparticularly women and youth to create a more developed and equitable society through reducing poverty, eliminating exclusion, and fostering a culture of peace.

Values

As an organization, LOST is committed to sustainable development with the fulfilment of Human Rights. It has a responsibility to safeguard the people with whom it works based on the following values:

  • Mutual Respect: Treating people with dignity, courtesy, and consideration, regardless of their differences, such as race, religion, gender, age, or cultural background. Mutual respect involves accepting individuals for who they are, encourages active listening and resolving conflicts peacefully and collaboratively.
  • Responsibility and Responsiveness: Adapting and reacting to the needs and concerns of individuals, groups, or communities. It is based on the commitment to being a responder to the basic needs of the communities and the acknowledgement of the impact that our actions have on society. 
  • Transparency and Rule of Law: Making rule of law customary and not a leisure. Maintaining clear financial records, providing access to information about the organization, communicating goals clearly, and complying with local and international regulations. Law is consistently applied, transparent, and inclusive, ensuring that the rights of all individuals are protected.
  • Equality and Equity: Treating all individuals with the same level of respect and dignity regardless of their personal characteristics. Ensuring equal opportunities and access to all individuals while recognizing the additional support that might be needed to overcome existing disparities.
  • Independence: LOST’s operates without any external influence, control, or affiliation with political or religious entities. It is a fundamental principle that underlines the credibility, objectivity, and effectiveness of LOST when providing services without discrimination. This keeps LOST at an equal distance from all the constituents of the area. 

Our values are applied in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993), and other international agreements which uphold the rights of all people including children and women. We are therefore committed to the protection of people from ‘all forms of physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual violence’ as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 48/104 of the Declaration of the Elimination of Violence against Women. The policy aims to ensure that all staff and representatives implement policies and procedures which prevent abuse as well as behavior that may be misinterpreted as leading to or constituting abuse.

Organization Summary

Established in 1998, The Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST), has a clear and commendable mission. It focuses on creating a developed and equitable society through reducing poverty, eliminating exclusion and fostering a culture of peace. LOST targets the ultra-conservative and underdeveloped communities of the Republic of Lebanon with multi layered projects that adopts social and economic aspects. 

Being considered as vulnerable or marginalized groups in many societies, LOST focuses on youth and women through educating them on civic and intellectual matters. It provides them with the tools and knowledge they need to participate in and contribute to the development of themselves and their communities. 

LOST works on strengthening communal capacities and empowering them to take an active role in their development and self-governance. These communities will be able to identify their needs, set priorities, and collaborate on solutions. It Is promoting a more inclusive, self-sustaining, and a democratic society in Lebanon while emphasizing on rule of Law, Justice, liberty and economic wellbeing. 

Organizational Capacity and Management

LOST is headed by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board who is the General Manager of the organization in charge of setting its vision and goals and of overseeing the Executive Board, and other personnel. The Supervisory Board has an advisory and Supervisory role in relations to the Executive Managers and is composed of seven members including General Manager, Deputy GM, Secretary, Treasurer, Research Director, Public Relations Director, and Media Director

The Executive Board in LOST carries out the operations by collective efforts and cooperation of the heads of all LOST operational units mainly the Operations, Programs, and Strategies (OPS) unit, MEAL, Finance, Human Resources, Logistics, Communications, and Procurement. The General Manager and the Deputy GM are responsible for the coordination between the different units at LOST and between the Units and the projects. The GM and the DGM are responsible for overseeing the work of the units and they report to them. These units, collectively, form the Executive Board at LOST whose responsibility is to ensure the proper, timely, and qualitative implementation of all LOST operations.

Simultaneously, LOST has 13 operational branches (field offices). Each branch has a branch coordinator that overlooks the implementation of all activities in his/her respective region. He/she is the focal point that coordinates with the executive board and is their extension in the branches.

Strengths of the Organization 

LOST prides itself primarily for the impact it is exerting, and for playing a leading role in lifting this region from the stagnancy of underdevelopment and ignorance to the springs of prosperity and enlightenment. In the accomplishment of this mission, LOST takes advantage of its strengths which it has been developing since its inception in 1997. These strengths are the following:

  • Experience of Organization

LOST has established itself as a long-standing and dedicated organization, focused on improving the lives of the local population across social and economic dimensions. The organization’s experience and longevity in the region indicate that it has developed a deep understanding of the local context and a track record of success in implementing projects and delivering quality services. These services encompass a wide range of important areas covering several sectors:

  • Food security and livelihood
  • Education
  • WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)
  • Good Governance
  • Social Stability
  • Women Empowerment
  • Youth Empowerment
  • Health
  • Protection
  • Highly Qualified Local Staff: 

LOST’s success hinges on the exceptional talent, high qualifications, wide expertise, and dedication of its staff. These employees are experts in their respective fields, bringing a wealth of knowledge to every project. Their skills are major contributors to LOST’s success that ensures the delivery of top-tier services to the target populations, partners, and donors.

The staff is constantly provided with world-class training by leading international and national entities to ensure that LOST remains at the forefront of its fields.

Furthermore, LOST is committed to employing staff who are local and from areas in which they live. This approach ensures the added value of the localized knowledge of context of each area or village that LOST operates in.

  • Well-Established Network

LOST has been officially recognized by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Lebanon, MEHE, MDSA, and by the United Nations Development Program as an accredited institution. In this regard, sector and inter-sector meetings are being constantly performed with different UN agencies to maintain a high and updated level of coordination. 

Also, it established a robust partnership with the governor’s office in Baalback-Hermel, in which it marked a significant milestone in the cultivation of a professional network in the region. It includes more than 50 educational and research institutes, local governments and municipalities, Non-governmental Organizations, public figures, government officials, and news media.

Likewise, favoring local talent with pre-existing connections and familiarity to the region facilitated the process of integrating the employees into the community. It not only eases their acceptance but also strengthens the bond between the employees and the areas they serve. 

As a result, LOST gains access to abundant resources which may be necessary to accomplish its objectives and carry out its plans.

Finally, and to strengthen its networks, LOST shares data with sister organizations as a routine done regularly. It also shares an activity info report on its website with all its stakeholders updating on its precise activities and beneficiaries served per month on a sector per sector basis. 

  • Reputation:

Gaining an outstanding reputation, LOST has dedicated years to delivering unwavering commitment to quality, transparency, and accountability in both results and services provided to the communities it serves. With a deep sense of responsibility, LOST holds its obligations to stakeholders, including donors and target populations. This allows LOST to gain the respect of the public at large and of government officials, which facilitates its access to resources necessary to carry out its mission and execute its plans.

©2017 The Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training - by Nassim Dirany