Our Work

Tahaddi Education Center (TEC)

The Tahaddi Education Center (TEC) provides inclusive, holistic education for children and youth who are out of school or at risk of dropping out. Through a unique approach that combines academic learning, psychosocial support, and creative expression, we help every child build confidence, develop essential skills, and reach their full potential—ensuring no one is left behind.

Early Childhood Education (ECE)

TEC runs a three-year preschool program for more than 50 children aged 3–5, preparing them for a smooth transition into public schools. In a bilingual English–Arabic environment, children strengthen their cognitive, social, motor, and communication skills through learning and play.

Children also benefit from Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) sessions helping them navigate the challenge of their environment. A team of therapists provides additional support by working on learning prerequisites and addressing behavioral or developmental needs.

After completing the program, Tahaddi’s social workers support families with school registration and encourage participation in our Homework Support Program.

The Best Step Program

Our special education team supports 6–10 children each year, helping them strengthen communication, social skills, and autonomy. Through sensory activities, play-based learning, motor-skill exercises, and speech therapy individual sessions, children build cognitive abilities and greater functional independence.

Each child follows an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Tahaddi’s educators and therapists work closely with parents to ensure consistent support and encourage meaningful progress, learning, and growth.

Non-formal Primary Education

TEC offers a non-formal inclusive primary education program of at least 6 years for more than 250 out-of-school children, many of whom have missed years of learning or dropped out of school.

Through level-based instruction, we help children progress at their own pace. The curriculum includes core academic subjects: math, Arabic, English, science, as well as history, computer, coding, theater, art, music, and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

Our multidisciplinary team of educators, coordinators, and therapists works closely together to deliver holistic support in the classroom and through individual sessions, ensuring every child receives the care, guidance, and encouragement needed to learn, grow, and thrive.

The Homework Support Program

Serving more than 100 children enrolled in public schools, the Homework Support Program provides tutoring in English, Arabic, math, and science. With the support of 15 Tahaddi educators and committed volunteers, children receive academic assistance before or after school hours.

For many students, this program is their main source of consistent learning, especially amid frequent disruptions in public schooling. By offering structured support and follow-up, the program helps students strengthen their learning, stay motivated, and remain on track academically.

The ILearn@Home Program

Launched in 2019, the ILearn@Home Program reaches out-of-school or illiterate pre-teens through a community-based learning model. Women from the community are trained as tutors and provide Arabic and math lessons from their homes.

They receive weekly training and continuous guidance from Tahaddi’s coordinators to ensure lessons remain effective and engaging. This initiative brings education to more than 100 children who are often engaged in child labor while also empowering women with new skills, a source of income, and a stronger role within their community.

The Youth Transition Program (YTP & YTP+)

Building on Tahaddi’s non-formal primary education program, the Youth Transition Program (YTP) supports adolescents aged 14–16. The program strengthens their academic skills, helps them identify their strengths, introduces them to different career pathways, and encourages community service.

The Youth Transition Program+ welcomes youth who have completed the YTP, as well as other young people from the community facing disrupted education and complex social or legal challenges.

Through practical vocational training—offered both within Tahaddi and through external partners—the program fosters personal development and job readiness, helping youth build confidence, acquire skills, and move toward a more secure and hopeful future.

• Phase 1 (ages 14–16): academic learning, career guidance, community service, and psychosocial support.
• Phase 2 (ages 16–25): soft-skills training, vocational courses (including in-house training in sewing, carpentry, plumbing, and makeup), alongside individual coaching and job-readiness sessions.

The Adult Empowerment Program

TEC also promotes lifelong learning through its adult education programs, which often serve parents of TEC students. Participants benefit from Arabic language classes and sewing courses, gaining practical skills that support personal development and expand future opportunities.

Across all programs, Tahaddi’s social workers walk alongside families to ensure their social and emotional needs are met with professionalism, care, and dignity.

Tahaddi Health Center

The Tahaddi Health Center lies at the heart of the community. Once an ordinary neighborhood house, it has grown into a welcoming space where everyone feels at ease. The center is easy to reach and free of physical or psychological barriers.

Our multidisciplinary team, which includes family doctors, a community nurse, a secretary, and a social worker, offers free primary health care services and helps cover the cost of additional medical needs for patients facing financial hardship.

Primary Health Care

Every year, around 2,000 people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds visit the Tahaddi Health Center, receiving close to 4,000 medical consultations.

Our services include care for acute illnesses, chronic diseases, childhood vaccinations, wound care, women’s and reproductive health, and home visits. Many diagnostic and treatment services are available on-site.

These services are provided by our Family Doctor, resident doctors from the American University of Beirut’s Family Medicine Department, and our Community Nurse.

Medical Financial Aid

When patients require care beyond the Health Center—such as diagnostic tests, specialist consultations, or emergency treatment— our social worker helps them navigate the health system and connects them with trusted, affordable providers who understand the realities of our community.

When needed, she also mobilizes Tahaddi’s medical financial aid fund to subsidize costs, ensuring patients can access essential— and sometimes life-saving—care that would otherwise be out of reach.

Each year, our social worker supports around 3,500 patients and provides approximately 2,000 medical financial aid contributions.

Prevention and Awareness

The Tahaddi Health Center team also places great emphasis on prevention and health education. Our Community Nurse offers individual counseling on topics such as breastfeeding, infant nutrition, and reproductive health.

She also leads small group sessions for young mothers, introducing them to the basics of baby care, from feeding and soothing to bathing and infant massage.

We offer proactive care for people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions, helping them manage their health with dignity and confidence.

Whenever epidemics arise, whether COVID-19, cholera, or measles, our team acts swiftly, mobilizing all available outreach channels to protect the community and working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and other local partners.

Well-being, protection, and holistic support

At the Psychosocial Support (PSS Center), we foster the well-being of our community by offering a variety of psychosocial support programs in a welcoming, community-oriented space.

Our dedicated team—led by the Center Director, who also serves as the case manager, and supported by social workers and a psychologist— works closely together to provide holistic, compassionate support to individuals and families.

Social Services

Our social services aim to improve the well-being of individuals and families, especially those facing vulnerability. We provide case management to assess needs, develop and monitor personalized action plans, and ensure regular follow-up.

Through counseling and referrals, we help people cope with stress and challenges while linking them to specialized services when needed. Families are also supported with relief assistance, including access to food, essential items, and emergency aid, as well as connections to available relief programs.

In addition, we design and organize community-based activities that respond to the needs and interests of the community.

Civil Documentation Support

Many individuals in our community struggle without official papers that prove their identity and civil status, leaving them at risk of being legally invisible.

We provide assistance in obtaining essential documents such as birth certificates, national ID cards, marriage or divorce certificates, death certificates, and registration in official civil records.

Having proper documentation is vital to access education, healthcare, work opportunities, social services, and legal protection. We also conduct awareness sessions on civil documentation and connect beneficiaries with courts and specialized lawyers to help them overcome barriers and finalize their paperwork.

Child Protection Services

Protecting children from harm is at the heart of what we do. Our child protection services work to prevent, identify, and respond to risks of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence.

This includes case management for children at risk, prevention and awareness activities, psychosocial support designed specifically for children, referrals to specialized services, and emergency response when needed.

Mental Health Support

We believe that emotional well-being is just as important as physical health. Our mental health services offer individual counseling in a safe and confidential setting, helping people navigate personal challenges and emotional needs.

We also provide group sessions and psychoeducation activities that build connections, resilience, and practical coping strategies. Awareness sessions help raise understanding of mental health within the community, while recreational and wellness activities promote relaxation, stress relief, and overall well-being.

Dignified work opportunities in sewing and crafts

Atelier Tahaddi empowers women and youth through dignified work opportunities in sewing and crafts. By producing handmade items, participants earn income, develop skills, and support their households.

Since 2013, the Atelier has provided a safe and steady workspace where seamstresses cut, sew, and craft a wide range of products, from blankets and bags to aprons and cushions.

These items are sold to individuals, businesses, NGOs, and at community fairs such as AUB’s Spring Fair and the Hamra Street Festival. The revenue provides a modest but vital income, helping families living month to month.

Today, 21 women and youth are part of the Atelier. Against the backdrop of Lebanon’s ongoing crises, Tahaddi Atelier has stood strong—turning challenges into opportunities, expanding its product lines, and fostering a secure and inspiring environment for youth and women.

Alongside production, ongoing training and mentorship equip participants with advanced, transferable skills that allow them to diversify products, pursue additional income opportunities, and increase sustainability. Some seamstresses have even received sewing machines, enabling them to generate income independently for their families and communities.

For the women and youth, the Atelier is more than a workplace—it is a source of pride, resilience, and empowerment. The confidence gained through their craft extends into every part of their lives, reinforcing Tahaddi’s commitment to building dignity and hope through meaningful work.