Bkeftine (Lebanon)

Since 2018, Erlangen has been linked to the northern Lebanese municipality of Bkeftine through a project partnership. With this project partnership, the city of Erlangen responded to the call of the BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) to support municipalities in the most important initial host countries for Syrian refugees through expert exchanges and know-how transfers.

Through the mediation of the Chair of Oriental Philology and Islamic Studies at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, a suitable municipality and an NGO in the field of disability work were quickly found, with whom the establishment of a project partnership was planned. In the first phase (2018), an exchange of expertise in the field of inclusive child and youth work, with a focus on environmental education and animal-assisted education, was carried out in several stages. In the current project phase (2019-2022), an inclusive facility with animal-assisted education was set up in Bkeftine with the aim of improving the care of people with intellectual disabilities in the region and also creating a local offer to promote inclusion. In addition to the local authorities, the Umweltstation Jugendfarm Erlangen e.V. and the Lebanese NGO Wahat Al-Farah (Oasis of Joy) in Bkeftine are currently playing a key role in the implementation of the project. A documentary was published to mark the successful completion of this project, which is available to download below (as a PDF).

To support the partner municipality of Bkeftine in coping with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, a project was implemented in 2021 as part of the municipal coronavirus solidarity package.

All three projects were supported by Engagement Global gGmbH and its Service Agency Communities in One World with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Our Lebanese project partner Wahat Al-Farah runs a school for 55 children with intellectual disabilities and workshops that provide work opportunities for 95 people with intellectual disabilities.

Lebanon is currently experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history. The Lebanese currency has lost a large part of its value, the electricity supply is only guaranteed for one hour a day and four out of five Lebanese now live below the poverty line. In order to support Wahat Al-Farah in this difficult situation, the association "Freunde der Oase der Freude e.V." is collecting donations (Freunde der Oase der Freude e.V., Stadt- und Kreissparkasse Erlangen Höchstadt Herzogenaurach, IBAN DE 30 7635 0000 0060 1044 41, BIC BYLADEM1ERH; further information at www.freunde-der-oase-der-freude.de).