Learning for the Empowerment and Advancement of Palestinians (LEAP) is an educational program for the Palestinian-refugee population in Lebanon. Education is a powerful tool that encourages self-sufficiency, which is incredibly important, especially in a society that denies you the most basic of rights. LEAP is a US-based organization that encourages people to volunteer teaching English to Palestinian refugee children of Lebanon. By doing this, there is a mutual benefit between the volunteers and the refugee camp as a whole. The volunteers gain tremendous knowledge they would not have learned otherwise, while Palestinian refugee children increase their knowledge of the English language. The latter is important because English is necessary for the national Brevet exam, which is required for a promotion to high school. Unfortunately, Palestinian refugee youth score substantially low in the English section of the exam. My friends Serene, Farah and Yasir will be volunteering in Shatila refugee camp this summer and told me about this really important initiative being ran through LEAP and another organization, Beit Etfal Assumoud.
This summer, LEAP is partnering with Beit Etfal Assumoud, a humanitarian, non-governmental organization that also works with the Palestinian refugee communities in Lebanon. Their goal is to implement the Community Cares Dental Health Project. Beit Etfal Assumoud is already operating 6 dental clinics specifically meant for Palestinian refugees. With the influx of Palestinian and Syrian refugees from Syria, additional support is needed to expand their outreach. LEAP’s goal is to provide 1,500 dental kits for each camp; 7,500 dental hygiene kits in total; and 2,500 checkups. Good oral health is often less prioritized, even though poor oral habits can cause many issues with overall health. These risks can diminish with good dental practices, which is why your help is needed.
Please visit the following link to help with the funding efforts, LEAP Dental Health Project.
Nadine Liddawi
