Since its establishment in 1997, caring for the Environment has been one of the main objectives of Makhzoumi Foundation. Actually, the first activity of the Foundation was agricultural / environmental entitled “Environment Friendly Pest Control” in November 1997.

Sustainable development is maintaining a delicate balance between the human need to improve lifestyles and feeling of well-being on one hand, and preserving natural resources and ecosystems, on which we and future generations depend on the other.

The Environment and Development Program covers 14 out of 17 SDGs throughout its activities and projects. It aims to improve the environment as a valuable asset and to focus on empowering women, children and youth to enforce their role, as active and responsible citizens, who affect change in their communities, leading the road towards sustainable development.

Choose how you want to help to make a difference

Sustainable Environment Division

Agro-Forestry Development Project of Degraded Lands of Lebanon:

1.2 million plants have been produced and distributed since 2001.

The Agro-Forestry encourages reforestation and includes a main nursery in Akkar / Northern Lebanon, founded in 2001 within the framework of a partnership project entitled “The Agro-Forestry Development Project of Degraded Lands of Lebanon” with three European NGOs: INARE & KEDE (from Greece) and TC Dialogue Foundation (from Belgium). It produces ornamental and fruit trees, as well as, herbs and roses. Plants are distributed to schools, universities, local NGOs, municipalities and communities countrywide.

How to Benefit >> Call 01 660 890 Ext:183, to get the most out of the MF Agro-forestry and receive your own plant/tree. In addition, schools are encouraged to request a reforestation awareness session, along with a field activity for students.

Yalla Nefroz “Let`s Sort “
More than 30 Drop Off Locations!
This environmental Initiative/Project was launched in 2016, aiming to motivate the residents around the neighbourhoods of MF centres within Beirut, to sort their non-organic solid household wastes. The Foundation placed sorting bins in front of its centres, to gather, then transfer the collected non-organic wastes for recycling. Later, this initiative expanded to other streets within Beirut, and ensured a truck specifically for the initiative. Currently, more than 30 drop-off stations are location in Beirut, including buildings, pharmacies, schools, shops and local NGOs.

Yalla Nefroz is now expanding!
MF EDP effectively planned for the year 2022 to be prosperous by further expanding the free of charge waste management services, within Beirut. A vision was set to maximize the number of contributors, reaching full capacity. Bins would be offered for free and proper guidelines would be communicated to ensure an adequate sorting. Furthermore, no effort is required from the contributors, as a porter will also collect the sorted waste every week.

How to Benefit >> Call 01 660 890 Ext:183, and get a free of charge service! Upon your call, sorting bins will be installed at your premises, and the sorted waste will be collected bi-weekly from the specified location to the designated recycling centres.

Women Empowerment Division

Craft Workshops

More than 35 different workshops to join!
The craft workshops aim at conveying the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) message to minimize household wastes.

Up-cycling is the process of converting old or discarded materials into something useful and often beautiful – somehow refashioning them – those items can be named as environmental art-crafts. In parallel, workshops on dessert preparation, pastries and other handmade crafts are held to help participants acquire skills that generate income without the need of a large capital. There is an array of more than 35 different topics in this section.

How to Benefit >> Call 01 660 890 Ext:186, and join any of the available workshops to gain beneficial crafting skills while having fun! Stay tuned with Makhzoumi Foundation’s social media platforms, to get insight and register in the ongoing workshops. In addition, if you have a skill that you would like to spread, contact us, for a chance to tutor a workshop.

Handy by MF

Handy by MF aims to empower girls and women across Lebanon, by enhancing their economic and financial stance, to achieve a positive impact on the society.
They are encouraged to be part of the initiative, especially the participants at the craft workshops mentioned above. Their products fit in a wide array of handmade crafts, such as accessories, tote bags, customized items, crochet, macramé, upcycled crafts, jewellery, patchwork, decoupage, masks, honey, dessert, unique arrangements, greeting upcycled cards, decorations, soap, etc…
The initiative offers the opportunity to market those local handmade products, either display their products at a showroom, exhibitions and souks or via social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

How to Benefit >> In case you are a handy woman with outstanding skills, contact us at 01 660 890 Ext: 183, 184 or 186, to present your items to a jury, for a chance to showcase your items at HandybyMF.
We are here for you!

Children and Youth Development Division

Engaging Contests:
Since the establishment of the Foundation in 1997 and to date, several environmental activities targeting children and youth are carried out each year such as: shore cleansing, seed collection, environmental days and contests. More than 15 nationwide environmental contests targeting students (from public and private schools) and individuals have been held. Topics cover the importance of reforestation and green areas, renewable energy, upcycling and Sustainable Development.
This year`s contest is entitled “My Sustainable Beirut in 2030 “, a nationwide contest for youth and citizens, in coordination with the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO.

How to benefit  Stay tuned with Makhzoumi Foundation’s social media platforms, to get insight about the ongoing contests. 

Green Demo Room

A project in partnership with the Center of Research and Development “CERD”, the Lebanon Green Building Council “LGBC “and MF. It was launched under the patronage of the Minister of Education and Higher Education then, on January 31st 2017 and it a scientific demonstration space at the premises of the Center of Research and Development in Jounieh. Students from public and private schools from all the regions of the country visit the room and get acquainted with the concept of green buildings, the principles of energy efficiency, water conservation and other environmental issues.

How to benefit >> Call us at 01 660 890 Ext: 189, and get all the required information to experience the demonstration of a complete sustainable environment.

Kids Summer Club

A lot of people talk about making learning fun. I think they have it basically wrong. When you’re having fun, you’re learning something” ~Psychology Today. As part of the Development Program’s Children and Youth Division, summer clubs are coordinated yearly and offers children between ages of 6 and 13 the chance to participate in crafts from wastes, seedling planting, and cooking activities among others.

How to Benefit >> Call 01 660 890 Ext: 189 and register your kids and allow them to benefit from an array of summer activities.

Success Stories

Empowering Women

I challenged myself and joined the Chocolate Molding and Decorating Workshop, the skills I attained motivated me to continue working at home. In the light of the attained skills I am capable of impressing my surrounding and professionally molding and decorating chocolate.

– Mona

It started as a hobby to craft jewelry, then, I attended one of the workshops organized by the Environment/Development Program, whereby they changed my hobby to a reliable income for me and my family. Throughout their channels and coordinated exhibitions, my items were promoted to many people and I am confidently and continuously showing off my products.

– Faten

I am a mother and pastry chef; throughout such times it is hard to afford time to market my products. However, my participation with MF at Souk El Balad allowed me to excel and achieve beyond my expectations. I am thankful for that opportunity as they helped me to prove myself.

– Hiba

Educating Children and Youth

Participants in the MAD for The Ocean contest, were highly satisfied with all the information grasped. They expressed the benefits in the following video:

Environment

I have recently joined the EDP team, as a Lebanese citizen I have never felt the continuous motivation to sort and manage my waste. However, throughout the obtainable channels of “Yalla Nefroz”, I learned that all I need to do is sort the waste and the rest relies on their free services to collect and transfer the sorted waste. It is refreshing to have the thought of being able to contribute to the environment.

– Stephany / Furn El Chebbak

Committed to Quality

The program will continuously strive to delight their endeavour to achieve their sustainable objectives throughout:
• Involvement of People
• Continual improvement
• Ascending number of beneficiaries
• Raising Awareness about Sustainability
• Enabling all children and youth to reach their optimal potential.
• Increasing sense of independency for women and youth, and promote self-sufficiency.
• Crafting and delivering creative solutions for the long-term well-being of Lebanon’s environment.

Our Earth our source of life, let`s protect it

“The environment is everything that isn’t me…. “, is one of the famous quotes by the great physicist Albert Einstein. It basically means that the environment is everything around us.

The Environment is the key for existence of life on Earth. It is the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the food that we eat … it is our health, our economy, our technology, our spirituality….it is EVERYTHING!

Caring for the Environment has been one of the main objectives of Makhzoumi Foundation. since its establishment in 1997.The Environment/Development Program (EDP) at the Foundation, through its activities and projects tackles 14 out of the 17 SDGs.

As the world races to stop climate change, trees are receiving more attention for the role they play in cooling the climate, absorbing massive amounts of carbon and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere. Forests are ecosystems abounding with biodiversity, hosting most of the world’s plant and animal species.

In 2001, MF founded a plant nursery in Akkar producing ornamental and fruit trees as well as herbs and roses. To date, it has distributed more than one million and 200,000 plants countrywide.

In 2022, trees were offered to both, the National Commission for Lebanese Women for Hammana and to the Ministry of Agriculture for the villages in Akkar that were affected by the forest fires in 2021.

Within this domain, EDP established two green areas in the villages of Izza and Irkay South Lebanon within two projects funded by the European Union (EU). To date, presentations and tree planting activities about the importance of reforestation, have been organized with the participation of around 13,000 students. Most recently, a group of volunteers joined the campaign for cleansing Horsh Beirut after the fire that erupted in June 2022.

On another topic, the Foundation had started activities in the field of renewable energy since 2009 thru projects that included technical trainings to science teachers and workshops to rural women on making solar cookers and the installation of a total of 62 solar street lighting poles in the South and the Bekaa and 30 solar thermal heaters in the Bekaa. In 2022, 565 solar street lamps were installed in Beirut, illuminating several dark regions due to the power crisis in the country!

In the educational domain, The Green Demonstration Room project was launched in 2017 comprising a scientific demonstration space which welcomes students to get them acquainted with the concept of green buildings and other environmental issues.

 After waste crisis in the country, MF launched “Yalla Nefroz “initiative in 2016 to sort non-organic solid household wastes in Beirut and transfer them for recycling, this project is expanding and includes pharmacies, schools, shops …etc.

Since 1999, upcycling workshops are being held for thousands of ladies countrywide.  To help them market their products and play an important role in society, Handy by MF was established: a channel to display and sell their local handmade products online and at markets and exhibitions. Presentations about waste management along with upcycling workshops have targeted around
7,000 students to date.

Honeybees are the world’s most important pollinators of food crops. Since beekeeping provides a sustainable environment friendly income generating activity, EDP has been implementing projects in partnership with International Organizations and Embassies on beekeeping skills training, targeting women and youth then providing them with hives and bee colonies to start their production. A total of 582 beneficiaries have benefited from those projects in Akkar, Bekaa and the South.

Challenges for Sustainability are growing, the need for education is always crucial as it empowers learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to take informed decisions. Hence comes the importance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) which is a key enabler of all Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) is also a main component of ESD.

The Foundation participated at the World conferences on ESD in Nagoya and Berlin in 2014 and 2022 respectively and implemented several ESD related projects. Some of the main activities of those projects were:

– Holding workshops to teachers on ESD.

– Production and distribution of an educational toolkit on ESD to all schools in Lebanon.

– Production of a documentary with recommendations and hints about simple daily changes to live a more sustainable life.

– Production and diffusion on TV and social media of a spot-on reduction of single use plastic bags.

–  Production of textile bags to decrease the use of plastic bags.

Since the establishment of the Foundation, environmental activities targeting children and youth are carried out each year: shore cleansing, seed collection, nationwide contests on the importance of reforestation, renewable energy, sustainable consumption, upcycling and Sustainable Development. In 2022 the contest is entitled “My Sustainable Beirut in 2030“.

Due to our commitment and our drive to keep up to date with global advancements in Sustainable Development, we have participated at more than 50 regional and international conferences where sometimes MF was the only representative from Lebanon such as the Eleventh World Congress on Forestry in Antalya-Turkey and the World Conference on ESD in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

In light of the Foundation’s vast array of environmental and sustainable activities and projects, the Foundation is a member of the following bodies:

  • An Accredited member of UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification)
  • Member of The Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED)
  • Strategic partner of The Mediterranean Information Office for the Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE)
  • A Council and Board member at Global Contact Network Lebanon (GCNL)

Notably, MF is the First NGO in Lebanon to receive certificate of greenhouse gas audit from V4 company and Ministry of Environment.

The natural environment is a free gift to us and we need to conserve it for a healthy living of human beings. Without it, there can be no life on Earth …and Earth is the only home that humans have!