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Monday 26 Oct 2015 - 14:04 Makkah mean time-13-1-1437
(images from AFP)
Beirut, (IINA) - The International Rescue Committee (IRC) recently coordinated a training program for 24 Syrian and Lebanese youths who used to live on the streets by begging strangers for money, AFP reported.
For two years, Syrian teenager Ibrahim scraped together a meager living by selling lottery tickets and tissues on the crowded streets of Beirut. The 18-year-old's life turned around after a three-month training program at a flower shop as part of IRC's program for vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian youths.
"Among the flowers, I forget what happened to us. I forget our worries", Ibrahim said while gently arranging a bouquet.
At a flower shop in the Cola district of the Lebanese capital, Ibrahim has learned the method of cleaning, watering and arranging the flowers into beautifully designed bouquets.
Ibrahim said: "In the streets, I used to hear really bad things. But here, I've learned mutual respect and a new trade".
The program also catered to the needs of 20-year-old Assaad, who comes from a poor district of the northern city of Tripoli. He has apprenticed at a modest bakery in central Beirut, helping to prepare bread for a steady stream of customers.
"I learned how to prepare the dough, how much salt you should use, and how to lay the bread out after baking", he said. "Working here is better than staying at home or being on the street".
Assaad is learning the trade from 30-year-old Syrian Qassem Mohammad, who owns the bakery and has lived in Lebanon for many years.
"I left Syria when I was young, but I found someone who gave me an opportunity. And in turn, I wanted to give this opportunity to someone who needs it", Mohammad said.
At least 1,510 children, three-quarters of them Syrian, live or work in the streets of Lebanon, according to a report by UN agencies, NGOs and Lebanon's Ministry of Labor. The report said that the real number of children on the streets could be up to three times higher than that.
It also said that at least 43 percent of those on the street beg for money, and 37 percent sell small items, like tissue paper or chewing gum. Others carry grocery bags, shine shoes or operate small parking lots, with most making between $3 and $12 daily.
Experts pointed out that regardless of their job, working and living on the street exposes children to danger and exploitation, such as street accidents and sexual assault.
IRC's Sara Mabger said the apprenticeship project sought to "give street youth an opportunity to learn a specific skill that (would not only) help them in their life, but also to minimize their hours of working on the streets".
It is noteworthy that Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrian refugees.
AG/IINA
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