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| Map of the Lebanon |
It is 10:00 am on a Monday morning; SOS Social Centre Ksarnaba in the Lebanese Bekaa region is bustling with people. Some are here for the first time to enquire about or enrol in the family strengthening programme; some are accompanying their children to see the paediatrician and others are here to find out about the language or computer courses that the centre offers. These are a few of the services that the social centre provides for FSP beneficiaries and the neighbouring communities.
Forty-eight-year-old Jomana* is among the visitors. However, she is here for a completely different reason. Coming from a village which is located approximately 60 km from Ksarnaba, she is at the centre to collect second-hand clothes from storage so she can sell them at her shop.
Jomana is a beneficiary of the FSP in Ksarnaba. Four years ago she started receiving educational assistance to help her with the schooling costs of her five children. A few months after she entered the programme, Jomana and the social workers decided it was time for her to start up an income-generating project. As Jomana is uneducated and unable to read or write, it was agreed that she could start off by selling second-hand clothes at her home. Instead of contributing funds, the centre supplied her with the goods, which were readily available in storage.
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| Jomana with her family in their second-hand clothes shop |
"We get a lot of clothes donations, so we agreed that she could make use of such donations to jump start her business. It didn't cost us anything," says Samar Berro, the social centre's manager, who has followed up on Jomana's case from the very beginning.
Left with five dependants, no education or work experience
Jomana's husband passed away six years ago; five months after his death she gave birth to her fifth child. Born in a poverty-stricken rural area in Bekaa - where work and education is not common among women of her age and in her circumstances - Jomana was in dire need of help.
"One of my daughters is very sick; her medication amounts to 300,000 Lebanese pounds (USD 200) every month. It was very hard to secure medication on a regular basis. Eventually I was able to get help from the government, so now I get the medication free from public pharmacies. But the problem is that I'm not always able to find supplies and sometimes I have to pay for it myself when I buy it from private pharmacies in the capital Beirut. If it were not for the business that the SOS Social Centre helped me to start, I would not be able to buy it at all at times like this," says Jomana.
Developing the business
"I have started to make a profit from selling the second-hand clothes that I collect from the centre. So every time I save some money, I shop for new goods from Beirut. My business has grown and I don't just depend on used clothes now. I often bring back scarves, socks, shawls and slippers to sell at my shop. Sometimes I'm able to buy new things for my children too," she says with a smile.
Jomana admits that although such items could be easily found in other shops, the neighbours often buy from her to assist and support her through such rough times. "A relative lets me display my goods in her shop free, so I don't have to use my house for the business anymore. The neighbours have been very supportive too. This business has not only helped me financially but also emotionally. I was lost after my husband passed away," says Jomana.
As she had run into debt and struggled hard to make ends meet, Jomana admits that there were times when she thought of giving up and accepting defeat. "But that was not an option; I couldn't give up, I have children to care for and feed. At times when I was hopeless, I thought of getting my children to stop going to school to help me out, but luckily the headmaster was patient with me and agreed that I could pay the fees when things got better; then the SOS Social Centre stepped into my life and started helping," says Jomana before she walks away, heading towards the storage room.
The SOS Social Centre's family strengthening programme started work in January 2005 from a temporary location before moving into the village in 2006 when it was officially inaugurated. The family strengthening programme is the main programme provided by the social centre in Ksarnaba. The facility also includes a multi purpose room, a library, a dental clinic and a mother and child primary health care unit. Although it was only intended for 120 families, the centre has already reached out to 142 families. For 2009 the capacity is set at 180 families. Other programmes such as medical care, language courses, awareness sessions are supportive programmes provided for families participating in the family strengthening programme and for the surrounding communities at large.
*The name of the lady featured in this article has been changed to protect her privacy.