Basmeh & Zeitooneh For Relief And Development

Basmeh & Zeitooneh is a registered non-governmental organization dedicated to serving Syrian refugees and vulnerable populations living in Lebanon and Erbil, Iraq. It began in 2012 as a small group of volunteers responding to the needs of refugees in Lebanon. Since then, we have worked to provide education, relief, livelihoods and protective services. We have also expanded our reach to include vulnerable host communities, while working in areas with the highest concentration of refugees. Despite the rapid development of the organization, we maintain a grassroots and participatory approach, where we seek input and feedback from beneficiaries throughout project design and implementation. Our aim is to provide accessible, holistic solutions that empower and build the capacity of marginalized communities, by utilizing our community centers to serve as focal points for the local neighborhood, and by transferring the knowledge to the affected communities, where B&Z believes that vulnerable people should have the power, knowledge, and ownership to lead their chosen dignified lives. Our varied programs utilize an approach that upholds human dignity, and reduces the need to navigate through a complex international humanitarian system to meet basic needs. Thus the programs are aimed at building and developing skills, enhancing psychological well being, and building individual and communal capacity in order to increase the agency and independence of those who have been marginalized.