Time span: Started in 1978 Ended: ongoing program

Social Affairs Program Description:

Association Najdeh’s social programs were initiated in 1978 to provide support for the underserved vulnerable population of Palestinian refugee widows and their children. Following the Israeli incursion attacking refugee camps in Lebanon in 1982, AN expanded its social services to include the provision of relief food, emergency medical care, reconstruction and self-reliance loans and training programs. Thus, Social Affairs Program established in order to provide educational scholarships and health care for the women and their families. SA provides partial coverage of the following: tuition fees at secondary schools and vocational training institutions for those who are clearly unable to afford such expenses, partial coverage of surgery, secures work, and refers hardship cases to Najdeh's other program (vocational training and education courses, pre-school education, embroidery workshops.

Responding to a request by Palestinian refugee women for more information on reproductive health, Najdeh applied for and received a small grant in 1996 through the Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium (RHRC) to implement reproductive health education workshops. A series of reproductive health workshops including several on domestic violence, for Najdeh's beneficiaries living in and around the 12 refugee camps in Lebanon were implemented. Women attended the workshops sought additional information, particularly on domestic violence.

Social Affairs Program Objectives:

Overall objective:

To provide annual social and financial assistance for educational and health care services for the women and their families.

Program Objectives:

1. Empowering number of Palestinian Refugees in the educational and health levels.
2. Empowering number of Palestinian hardship families throughout different types of educational and psychosocial activities.

Social Affairs ProgramActivities:

1. Providing beneficiaries with the highest need receive educational and health services with the help of a one-time grant.
2. Number of hardship cases have benefited from one of Najdeh's other programs (vocational Training, domestic Violence, literacy, psychosocial.

Social Affairs Program Coordination:

At the level of coordination with other NGOs, the Section coordinated with the coordination forum of NGOs working among Palestinian community in Lebanon in representing the forum in some conferences and workshops in the country and abroad, such as Badils' conferences, Euro-Med Civil Forum meetings, the Euro-Med Civil Forum in Lebanon., there was Coordination with EPEP, BdtW, and Education Action International. Locally, the section mainly coordinated with People's Rights Movements and institution in organizing Human Rights and Conflict Resolution workshops. Also, there was coordination with the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence against Women in facilitating workshops on the Women’s Rights and violence against women .