Azahir’s Programs: We serve children all year round

Azahir runs two main programs for children: Education and Psycho-Social Support, during two cycles throughout the year: During the school year and a summer program. In addition, we offer programs for parents and youth, including trainings in Life-Skills Development, Child Protection and Positive Parenting.

Education

Azahir targets children who are falling behind in school and literacy, and offer the UN curriculum for grades 1 to 9, and remedial education classes from Arabic to Maths and Science. We engage fun and play into creative learning strategies, so that kids can absorb new concepts easily, and be encouraged to keep coming back to our center that offers an welcoming, safe atmosphere where the children can make friends and feel a child again.

Over the summer, our education program is full – as we prepare students for the new school year and ensure they match the grades they are in at their public or UN school. Throughout the year, Azahir educators prepare exams to test their levels and reward hard work with community activities.

Psycho Social Support

Psycho Social Support, PSS, is an important method for life-skills development, mental health and trauma relief. The UN defines PSS as a process that addresses the psychological and social needs of individuals, families, and communities. This is core to Azahir’s role in Lebanon, bringing communities together around stability, cohesion and healing. For each child, our Azahir leaders offer specialized attention to their characteristics and needs – this careful method helps treat and prevent disorders and support healthy child development. Come join one of our games to find out more!

Azahir’s PSS program integrates cultural value, from arts and crafts to chess (for critical thinking!) to celebrating heritage with dabke the traditional Levantine dance, and Palestinian and Lebanese dress and music.

Engaging the Community

Youth Training

Youth make up the Azahir team, ages 21 to 35, who have received several trainings in PSS, Child Protection, Project Management, Financial Management and more. The Azahir Team is passionate about helping other youth in their camps and communities obtain critical life skills, and offer trainings for youth cohorts from 14 to 18, and 19 to 21. This passing down of skills helps create self-sufficiency of the community, where increasingly we equip the community’s young bright minds with tools and methods they can use in a variety of settings: from home to work to the streets.

Azahir partners with many great organizations to complete trainings. In one example, the Dutch national football club, KNVB, has been a close partner of Azahir for the past 4 years. Utilizing the internationally renowned method of sports for peacebuilding and life-skills, Azahir’s team trains using advanced techniques by international coaches, with football and strategy at the core.

Positive Parenting

Azahir has been serving refugee and vulnerable children in its communities in North Lebanon since 2014. During these years, we have developed important relationships with the parents of the children we serve. Azahir Team has conducted household visits to learn more about the children’s families, and how we can offer support in other areas – such as health referrals and child protection training.

One of the most common feedback we’ve received is that parents would like to receive support on how to deal with their children facing difficult living conditions, insecurity and poverty, as well as bullying at school or in the streets. Azahir offers workshops on positive parenting – including methods of games and play to help their child cope healthily with their surrounding, be rewarded for good schoolwork and behavior, and help them make friends at the Azahir Center and be connected to positive role models from our Youth Team.