Introduction: This is the third part of a three-part series. The first two parts examined how the Imam Sadr Foundation is helping improve mental as well as physical health in Lebanon and how it works to empower women. This article looks at how and why the ISF came about and what it has achieved.

In the 1960s, Imam Moussa Sadr summarized the major issues of that time: “Despotism and claiming guardianship of the masses, accusing them of being ignorant and incapable of being in charge of themselves, are among the many forms of oppression that crush the energy of a people; as are the use of neglectful policies that reduce the people’s opportunities, thus denying them any chance of advancement and even depriving them of good health.”

The characteristics of the region that the ISF serves are critical to understanding the work of the Foundation. South Lebanon has traditionally been neglected by governments as well as Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), in spite of its geopolitical importance. The area has suffered numerous military conflicts involving international players and a variety of Lebanese factions. The waves of displacements of people of southern Lebanon have wreaked havoc not only among those directly affected, but also on the rest of the country, as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) cause social and economic pressures on urban centers. Villages that have been deserted or live under the constant threat of violence suffer environmental hazards and demographic distortions. In conditions such as these, traditional and cultural challenges also add to social instability and upheaval. It is this challenging and dynamic context in which the ISF carries out its exemplary humanitarian work.

The ISF & women: The social entrepreneurship is manifested through a consistent postulate to empower women. While the ISF makes a wide range of contributions to Lebanese life, probably the single greatest value added is its success in emphasizing the importance of women in providing direction and solutions to societal issues. In the conservative context of South Lebanon, a context in which women face challenges of equality, this focus on women is remarkable. Thousands of orphans and vulnerable girls have graduated from ISF programs and have subsequently found an enhanced role for themselves in society. This record reveals a clear commitment to addressing women’s issues and attending to their educational, health and career needs. It has thus gained an important reputation among women, especially the poor, due to its substantial interventions in the lives of women in South Lebanon.

As early as 1961, and in an attempt to turn his vision into reality, Imam Sadr employed scientific methodology in social work and established the Imam Sadr Foundation, a non-profit, charitable, developmental and social organization. It launched its operations in 1962 and became a public utility organization as per Lebanese law. It gained the consultative status of the Social and Economic Council of the United Nations – ECOSOC (2002). The Foundation’s headquarters is located in Tyr, South Lebanon. It runs eight socio-medical centers and has subsidiaries in Beirut and a representative office in the USA, as well as a worldwide network of associates.

Women make up about 80 percent of the working team at the ISF. Additionally, every year hundreds of women participate in ISF programs and receive professional training and social empowerment. In a traditional culture, where disparities and discrimination against woman are prevalent, this venture is unprecedented. It is the ISF’s contention that fundamental social change happens as women are brought into the social change and entrepreneurial environment. The solid programs offered by ISF (education, integrated health, vocational training, economic empowerment, etc.) are generally designed to facilitate such change. 

A critical factor in serving others is the concept of equal opportunity for all, regardless of their race, color, sex or social and ideological backgrounds.  Any bias contradicts equality and undermines the main principles of human rights and development.

Nurturing the peace

Whereas victims of violence among children across the world have reached a billion, this section is limited to the experience of ISF with specific groups of children in South Lebanon. To protect people from violence or treat them for physical or psychological wounds caused by violence requires a therapeutic approach. Introducing children to a culture of peace is a future-oriented strategy meant to prevent conflicts. 

It is worth mentioning that the current confrontations and uprisings in Arab cities would aggravate the situation, which was already stigmatized by a full spectrum of needs, including recurrent crises and traumas. Aggression stems from the desire to inflict one’s pain on others and from dramatic changes in the family, such as death, illness, separation, displacement, homelessness, severe poverty, child abuse and neglect.  

Since its establishment 50 years ago, the Foundation has provided services to tens of thousands of beneficiaries, each of whom has endured some form of violence at one point in time; and many were subject to several types of violence, including domestic violence, in the media, at school, on the street, bombings, murder and forced displacement. The ability of targeted individuals to come to terms with their situation remains tough, as these girls never committed a crime that justifies their painful punishment. Girls grow up to realize that they are in the wrong place (away from their families), which leads them to ask unanswerable questions such as, “Why me?”, “Who brought me here?” and “Where am I going?”

Comprehensive approaches are deployed to respond to the multi-faceted needs of the children in order to interrupt this cycle of poverty, childhood adversity, social exclusion and inequality. Many children endure such suffering as a result of the psychological effects after decades of war. The ISF considers achieving significant educational results is contingent upon a delicate formula that balances its vision as an educational institution seeking positive change with dynamic local and non-local demands. In fact, missions expand when local communities find their constituencies in need of services and education without having the capacity to attend to these needs. This leaves schools with larger burdens in terms of playing multi-faceted roles in order to achieve the aspired results.

As children grow up, preparation strategies can be clustered under two main headers. The first addresses educational, economic and psychological empowerment that aims to reduce pressure, protect them from the profiteers’ and help raise children well. This is realized through integrated projects: professional training, recruitment and placement, empowerment, capacity building and awareness of women’s rights. 

The second header is related to psychological interventions that aim at personal stability and preparation for peaceful dialogue. This effort starts with a process that helps absorb the shock, confess grief, recognize identity and respect oneself. Moral and religious education plays a significant role at this level as it brings tranquility, tolerance, mercy and healing. In addition to the aforementioned strategy, the ISF adopts integration strategies.  The policy is based on admitting students from well-off families in return for flexible fees in accordance with each household’s capability. This yields various results, mainly social dialogue at an early stage in childhood, which contributes to filling the gap between well-off and poor children. Another accomplishment was expanding the circle of education-funding partners, which resulted in better equipment, greater capacities of the staff and thus better quality and outcomes.

Conclusion

The world celebrates International Women’s Day, but the majority of Arab women do not take part. They do not seem to feel it is theirs. It is an indicator that the Arab transition is still in a suspicious stage.

The transition to cultural and social change is not a simple act of changing rulers or those who govern. The victorious Arab revolution should be a choice of nonviolence, a humanitarian choice deriving from a civilized system that allows participation of all citizens and fosters dialogue as a value and a manner of inducing change. New leadership and a new political order are surely to come, with the possibility to witness other types of oppression and challenges. 

And I finish by quoting Imam Moussa Sadr depicting the desired future: 

“Lebanon of tomorrow is a country of justice and equal opportunities, a unified Arab country that carries the message of humanity and civilization, a place where values and freedom dwell.”

And the desired freedom: 

“There is no way one’s freedom would conflict with others’, if all would hold on to the principal values for a humane society.”

The insight gained from the experience of the Imam Sadr Foundation is that women’s empowerment is a reliable approach for social change and a prerequisite to win the fight against misery and oppression. But most importantly, the work with women is promising because women in their own right are indispensable to win in difficult times while transiting to the “people’s spring.”