Impact Atlas Partners with the Government of Lebanon & The World Bank

One of the key issues Lebanon currently faces is the economic and social impact of the Syrian crisis, now in its ninth year. According to government and independent sources, up to 1.5 million Syrians, about a quarter of the Lebanese population, have taken refuge in Lebanon since the conflict erupted in March 2011. According to the World Bank, this has strained Lebanon’s public finances, service delivery, and the environment. The crisis is expected to worsen poverty incidence among Lebanese citizens as well as widen income inequality. In particular, it is estimated that as a result of the Syrian crisis, some 200,000 additional Lebanese have been pushed into poverty, adding to the erstwhile 1 million poor. An additional 250,000 to 300,000 Lebanese citizens are estimated to have become unemployed, most of them unskilled youth.

In partnership with the World Bank, the Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA), and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), the NPTP project team is implementing a Graduation type approach for a government social protection program. NTP is the only poverty-targeted social safety net program in Lebanon for the poorest and most vulnerable Lebanese families.

Using the graduation model first developed by BRAC, NPTP Lebanon plans to use trained case managers to work with participants over a two year period. The participants of the program will learn to build sustainable livelihoods and gain the confidence and skills necessary to create a better life for themselves and their families.

The World Bank suggested the use of Impact Atlas to the Government of Lebanon as the ultimate platform for deep knowledge and configuration for graduation style programming.

Impact Atlas for NPTP * All names and images changed for privacy*

The government is using Impact Atlas, adapted to fit the Arabic right to left design needs on both mobile and web platforms, to track case management visits, training, program development, delivery of services to participants, and track the impact over the course of the program.

Participant profiles in Impact Atlas contain information about their families, their assets, location, and their individual progress across the indicators that the government and the World Bank have agreed to track.

This data is available in real-time in the field offices in Bekaa and Tripoli, and the country office in Beirut allowing for more transparency, accountability, and adaptive learning.

About The World Bank

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of poorer countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Development Association.

About the NPTP Program by the Government of Lebanon

The National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP) was launched in 2011 by the Government of Lebanon (GOL) with technical and financial assistance from the World Bank.It is the only poverty-targeted social safety net program in Lebanon for the poorest and most vulnerable Lebanese families. The NPTP targets extreme poor Lebanese households, defined as households who are unable to meet their basic food needs.

The NPTP is managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM). Today, the NPTP reaches 43,000 households. However, the current economic and financial crisis could put more than 155,000 households (850,000 individuals, equivalent to 22% of the Lebanese population) under the extreme poverty line; and 356,000 households (1.7 million individuals, equivalent to 45% of the Lebanese population) under the upper poverty line.