The preliminary phase
Implementation of the training activity in the post-occupied area of South
Lebanon required extensive preparations in collaboration with active
organizations in the field. A first meeting was held at the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) premises in Tyre to introduce the project to local
actors. Several other meetings took place in Tyre to mobilize selected
municipalities and coordinate the project’s pilot and first phases.
Naqoura
As scheduled, the E-Caravan headed to Naqoura right after the successful launch
ceremony that took place at the United Nations Headquarters in Beirut Central
District. The mobile school was welcomed by excited and intrigued villagers who
had gathered for the occasion.
Training sessions started on January 23 for a period of two weeks, but an
extension was soon granted to meet the increasing number of candidates. News of
the E-Caravan’s activities in the region reached other villages. Municipalities
and grass-root organizations from different areas and cazas contacted Fondation
Saradar to inquire about the possibility to host the mobile school and benefit
form its free IT training services.
Al Bustan
The E-Caravan reached Al Bustan village on February 27 for a scheduled two-week
training period. Again, the high rate of enrolment required a 15-day extension.
The project generated great interest among the population, the media and
officials alike. During the stay of the caravan in Al Bustan, a TV production
company operating for Reuters news agency organized a trip to the village and a
short documentary on the subject was aired on two TV channels, ‘Al Rae’y’ and
‘Al Arabia’. On the other hand, UNIFIL Major, General Alain Pellegrini, paid a
visit to the E-Caravan where the Formatech trainer introduced him to the project
and to local participants who had the opportunity to take a snapshot with the
UNIFIL Commander.
The graduation ceremony
On May 19, 2006, a graduation ceremony was held at the municipality of Naqoura
to grant Microsoft certified diplomas to approximately 180 trainees who had
successfully completed the E-Caravan training curriculum. The ceremony was
attended by the presidents and members of the municipal councils of Naqoura, Al
Bustan and Majdl Zoun, as well as by Mr. Farshad Tami, Programme Assistant,
UNESCWA Iraq Task Force, Lt. Col. Ravi Kumar, UNIFIL Force Humanitarian Officer,
Mrs. Marie-Claude Saradar and Mrs. Tania Helou, Fondation Saradar’s president
and general manager, Ms. Rana Bechara, E-Caravan field coordinator, and Ms.
Khawla Abou Chakra, Formatech trainer for South Lebanon. Speeches were delivered
on behalf of the municipality of Naqoura, Fondation Saradar and UNESCWA. A
cocktail reception held on the premises wrapped-up the ceremony.
Majdl Zoun
The municipality of Majdl Zoun started mobilizing its population and neighboring
villages well in advance, and was soon overwhelmed by the growing number of
candidates. The E-Caravan witnessed a huge success in Majdl Zoun, which led the
president of the municipality to request a four-week extension to the scheduled
one month period. In an official letter to the Foundation, he expressed the high
demand for an IT training extension and the pressure the municipality was
undergoing as a result of a long waiting list. Unfortunately, the continuous
delays in the project’s initial calendar and the need to end the pilot phase
that was long overdue required otherwise. Still, more than one hundred
participants were trained, among whom 57% of female candidates.
Beit Leef
Considering the substantial number of local populations in this region and the
persistent request of the concerned municipal councils’ presidents to review the
E-Caravan’s itinerary, the Beit Leef cluster was included in the original
calendar accommodating villages which are remote from the following station.
During four weeks, the Mobile Computer School catered for eight villages around
Beit Leef, training 115 candidates who successfully completed the 216 training
hours.
The particularity of this fourth station is the participation of elderly people
living in a rural environment. Indeed, the E-Caravan attracted senior citizens
who were very enthusiastic, motivated and challenged to discover the secrets of
Information Technology.
Ayta al Shaab
On May 30, the E-Caravan headed towards Ayta al Shaab, a village located to the
right of the Lebanese southern border. The preparation phase in this new
location had been undertaken two months in advance and revealed an unusual large
number of participants, according to the registration forms deposited at the
municipality. More than 250 candidates were distributed into 32 groups over a
period of two months, until July 20, 2006. Unfortunately, on July 12, Formatech
trainer on site contacted Fondation Saradar to report heavy shelling on Ayta al
Shaab and to inform that training sessions would be temporarily interrupted. But
soon, the rapid deterioration of the situation in the region and the war that
broke out prevented UNIFIL to move the mobile school to a safe location. The
E-Caravan was stranded in the village. During the third week of July, the mobile
computer school was struck down by two Israeli missiles, becoming another
casualty of the crisis that gripped Lebanon for over 30 days.
News of the E-Caravan’s destruction was conveyed by the Mayor of Ayta al Shaab
to the trainer and the project field coordinator during the first three days of
August. Fondation Saradar immediately expressed its gratitude to the many
partners who had generously helped in building and furnishing the school,
reaffirming its commitment to pursuing its human development mission throughout
the country and contributing - even modestly- to the emergence of a knowledge
society in Lebanon. In parallel, UNESCWA and Fondation Saradar decided to
jointly pursue and document the case.
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®" PROJECT: THE TRAINING ACTIVITY
The preliminary phase
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The E-Caravan before July 2006.)
The E-Caravan after July 2006.