The project’s objective is to strengthen social and work integration services for women victims of violence and former drug addicts in Lebanon, in collaboration with the Lebanese nonprofit organization Oum El Nour. The project is led by the TempoPresente APS (Personal Health Authority), and the implementing partner is CTM (Cooperation in the Territories of the World). The project is funded by the Puglia Region under Regional Law 2020/2021. 20/2003 – Public Notice 2024.

Friday the 24th, Palazzo Ducale in San Cesario, a public meeting will be held to discuss the results of the work done so far and the inauguration of the exhibition “Tutto di personale – Storie di vita nuova” by photographer Dario Gambino. Under the patronage of the Province of Lecce and the Municipality of San Cesario, in collaboration with Astràgali Teatro. Starts at 6:30 pm.

It will be three packed days of institutional meetings, company visits, development of future collaborations, and a deeper understanding of the Salento region, highlighting how “cooperation nourishes peace” and, together with coexistence, social and economic development.

All under the banner of the “INCLUSIVE DAIRY IN LEBANON” project, launched last February and funded by the Puglia Region under Regional Law 2019/2020. 20/2003 – Public Notice 2024, promoted as lead partner by the social promotion association TempoPresente, coordinated by Alberto Piccinni, president of CTM – Cooperazione nei Territori del Mondo, in collaboration with the Lebanese nonprofit organization Oum El Nour, the beneficiary of the initiative.

Objective: Strengthen social and work integration services for women victims of violence and former drug addicts in Lebanon by modernizing the equipment and work systems of the Dairy Unit built by Oum El Nour in 2020 thanks to CTM and the Italian Cooperation, an interesting small-scale inclusive business startup gaining significant share in the local market.

The project will be the focus of the public meeting scheduled for Friday, October 24, at Palazzo Ducale San Cesario in Lecce, organized in collaboration with Astràgali Teatro and with the patronage of the Province of Lecce and the Municipality of San Cesario.

The afternoon will open at 6:30 pm with Salvatore Capone, President of TempoPresente aps, followed by institutional greetings from Giuseppe Distante, Mayor of San Cesario; Anna Luperto, Councilor for Culture and Equal Opportunities, Municipality of San Cesario; Antonio De Donno, Mayor of Tricase; Fabio Tarantino, Vice President of the Province of Lecce, Mayor of Martano. The event will then get to the heart of the matter with remarks from Alberto Piccinni, Project Coordinator, President of CTM Lecce; Akiki Jihad, Oun El Nour, Resource Development Office; Marie Catherine Mouawad, Oum El Nour, General Management Office; and Silvia Visciano, Head of Research and International Relations, Puglia Region. The discussion will be coordinated by Carla Petrachi, journalist and Vice President of TempoPresente aps.

Begun last February, funded by the Puglia Region under Regional Law 111/2019. 20/2003 – Public Notice 2024, the “INCLUSIVE DAIRY IN LEBANON” project aims to strengthen socio-occupational integration services for women victims of violence and former drug addicts in Lebanon by modernizing the equipment and work systems of the dairy of the Lebanese nonprofit organization Oum El Nour, a small-scale inclusive business startup founded in 2020 thanks to CTM and the Italian Cooperation, and currently establishing a significant position in the local market.

Strategic objectives of the project: optimizing the quality of the dairy’s delivery service with the provision of a refrigerated minivan, delivered to Fatqa, Mont Liban, last July, to maintain the cold chain during product distribution to customers and supermarkets, thus ensuring greater food security in a country where the economic, energy, and war crises have compromised the quality and freshness of food and weakened the production capacity of numerous companies in the agri-food sector. At the same time, equip the Oum El Nour Dairy with a digital system to optimize the supply chain, managing and monitoring all phases of the production and distribution process, contributing to the development of digital and management skills.

Also on Friday the 24th, following the public meeting, the photographic exhibition “Tutto di Personale – Storie di vita nuova” by photographer Dario Gambino will be inaugurated at 8:00 pm. This visual journey recounts the stories, hopes, and “new lives” in the inclusive communities of Sehaile and Fatqa, Lebanon, created by Oum El Nour to welcome women victims of violence and other vulnerable individuals at risk of social exclusion, especially young people.