Employment Hub is a program that aims to support financially-vulnerable, unemployed Lebanese youth by providing them with paid three-month internships and crucial skill-building towards finding permanent employment.
The program pilot launched in the autumn of 2020, in the wake of COVID19, the economic crisis in Lebanon, and the tragic Beirut blasts.
Employment Hub has served more than 600 unemployed university students or graduates since its launch in 2020.
Employment Hub is part of UNICEF Lebanon’s Generation of Innovation Leaders program, funded by the Government of the Netherlands and The Andan Foundation.
The Beirut blast left nearly 70,000 people unemployed. Adding to this the unprecedented economic crisis and COVID19, the poverty rate has soared. With no income to pay for rent, food, or medicine, people are turning to desperate measures to survive, while crime, violence, drug use, homelessness, depression, and suicide have increased significantly.
Our employment program supports financially-disadvantaged and unemployed youth by enrolling them in employability and soft skills trainings, followed by an internship. During the program, they are matched up with mentors to further provide them with personal and professional guidance and support. Selected youth are offered a monthly stipend to help them cover their basic needs during their participation in the program.
This program allows youth to focus on developing their personal and professional skills during a period of intense financial crisis, where they will be given a chance to feel productive and dignified again. The skills they learn will be essential to help them secure long-term employment. After the completion of the program, Nawaya, helps connect youth to local and remote employment and income-generating opportunities.
Employment Hub is powered by UNICEF Lebanon’s Generation of Innovation Leaders program, funded by the Government of the Netherlands and The Andan Foundation.