The goal of the project, funded by the UEFA Foundation, is to rehabilitate a safe space for boys and girls to play and strengthen social cohesion between communities
The “B.R.A.C.E – Beirut Rehabilitation of Recreational Area for Children and Equality” project, funded by the UEFA Foundation, aims at enhancing child protection and social cohesion in vulnerable areas of Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, by providing access to a safe and secure playing field for children from different communities. One of the main activities of the project is the rehabilitation of an existing playing field, to provide the communities with a safe brand-new playing space.
For this reason, INTERSOS is currently assessing multiple locations, especially the neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud, just outside Beirut, which is a densely populated area (approximately 116,000 people) that was particularly affected by the Beirut Blast and hosts a large Armenian community as well as Syrian, Palestinian, and Iraqi refugees in addition to Lebanese and migrant workers. INTERSOS team is also assessing Mar Mikhael, a Beirut neighborhood near Bourj Hammoud, that suffered significant damage from the Beirut Blast and hosts many refugees and migrant workers. Both locations are in dire need of repair/renovations to public spaces and parks.
With this rehabilitation programme we hope to find a place that connects several neighborhoods, to reach 3-4,000 people who can enjoy the space, including 200 children. With this project we aim to provide access to a safe and secure playing field for children, where they can have fun, engage in sports activities, and interact with members of different communities (refugee, migrant, host communities). The plan is to have a sustainable impact on the place we choose for rehabilitation after the project is completed. We hope the affected population will continue to use this space for gatherings, cultural events, and sports for children while taking ownership of the field in conjunction with municipality authorities. Ultimately, it will provide a space where children can just be children and enjoy engaging with each other. It can also be a place for performances, trainings, and sport matches for multiple groups to overall enhance the community’s quality of life.