April 13, 2010-With funds from US Agency of International Development Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI), CHF International in Lebanon built and equipped a seaside park besides Nahr El-Bared refugee camp as part of TALAKI program. The goal of the TALAKI program was to facilitate dialogue and improved relations between the Lebanese and Palestinian populations living in and around Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp through joint community development.
The new park provides both Lebanese and Palestinian residents a green space where children can play and grown-ups can meet to converse and relax in a peaceful atmosphere. The TALAKI Park (which means park of convergence and return of confidence between Lebanese and Palestinian people) is located between the Nahr El-Bared Camp and the fishermen port in Bebnine.
The project was implemented by CHF International in close coordination with the municipality of Bebnine and the Lebanese-Palestinian Committee who participated in the planning, design and implementation.
The U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison and USAID/Lebanon Mission Director Denise Herbol inaugurated the seaside park last Saturday on April 10th. The Ambassador thanked all those who participated in the project and emphasized its importance in providing a recreational space for the Palestinian and Lebanese residents who are rebuilding their community in the wake of the conflict between Fatah al-Islam terrorists and the Lebanese army in 2007.
The Bebnine Municipality will manage and oeprate the park and are planning joint activities to foster dialogue and rebuild mutual respect and confidence of citizens in the area. "This park is an example of how different communities can work together for a better future for all," Ambassador Sison affirmed during ceremony.
The park is the first of its type on the Lebanese coast and is the result of concerted efforts between the Lebanese government, the local municipality and CHF who implemented the project with funding from USAID/OTI.