Article Highlighting the grantees of the USAID funded program,Promoting Active Citizen Engagement (PACE) in Lebanon and focusing on their use of the Media

1. ONLINE EDITION
Grand Challenges for Development
July/August 2014
Online, Lebanese NGOs Strive to Make Citizens' Voices Count
By Ghada Khouri
Leb~HH:Hse Cerltef' fur' Attlve Gltl.z:er-~~lp ~itff arid voiUHtiHH!i march for' l:)EHtc~ IH Trlt;;oll. April lOH. Th~
rally, organized by an NGO coalition, drew 2,500 people. LCAC managed social media outreach on
behalf of the coalition.
LCAC
Social media is giving varied groups in a country with a history of conflict a new and
unfettered outlet to voice their concerns and organize for change.
Historically viewed as a bastion of free expression in the Arab world, Lebanon is a country with an
intricate media landscape that mirrors the complexity of its politics. Most media outlets are aligned with
political parties, coiering issues through a narrow political lens rather than a focus on the public interest.
For NGOs, the media environment makes it difficult to adQcate solutions to the country's problems on a
non-partisan basis.
·· ·"When-you-haie-media-ootlets-that-tow·a certain-political-line-and focus-on-the-activities-of politician·s
and political parties, the Qice of citizens gets diluted," says Roula Mikhael, executiie director of the
Maharat Foundation, a media watchdog. "As a result, genuine debate on public policies is largely absent
from the national discourse."
Enter social media, which is providing an unfettered space for dialogue. Despite a weak Internet

2. infrastructure, the Lebanese ha€ joined the
digital reOiution en force.
According to Facebook ad'.€rtising data,
about 1.8 million people-in a country of 4
million inhabitants-are acti€ on the social
network. This makes Lebanon one offi'.€
Arab countries with the highest rate of
Facebook penetration, per the latest Arab
Social Media Report by the Dubai School of
Go€mment.
This bodes well for NGOs engaged in digital
campaigns as it translates into the potential
to reach vast numbers of Lebanese men and
women rapidly and at low cost.
Taking Local Voices to the
National Stage
''The growth of social media has created new
opportunities for NGOs to engage citizens,"
says Haytham Khalaf, director of
the Lebanese Center for Active
Citizenship @ (LCAC).
Journalist Magda Abu Fadel, center, with
Lebanese Center for Active Citizenship staff
and volunteers, including LCAC Director
Haytham Khalaf, right, during a workshop on
citizen journalism in Tripoli.
LCAC
When LCAC partnered with USAID's Promoting Active Citizen Engagement (PACE) program in mid-
2012, it had a shy online presence. Today, the organization maintains a Facebook page with o€r 4,400
likers, a blog and the monthly digital magazine The Citizen @.
NGO partners like LCAC and others described USAID support as instrumental in helping them exploit
digital technologies to foster civic engagement.
The latest Arab Social Media Report finds that Lebanon is the most
gender-balanced among Arab countries when it comes to
Facebook penetration-45 percent of Facebook users are female.
"PACE ga€ us the tools and techniques to make strategic use of social media to advance our goals,"
Khalaf says. LCAC uses these platforms to promote the rule of law, equality and public accountability.
"Gi'.€n the level of political incitement in the mass media, we stri'.€ to present these issues in an
objective way, from the perspecti€ of citizens. This helps us build credibility with our audience," Khalaf
explains.
Establishing an online presence has also raised LCAC's visibility beyond local communities. 'We're
getting recognized e€n in remote villages far frorri our base in Tripoli," he says.
Despite recurring bouts of violence in the
northern city, LCAC managed to train 190
youth on access to information and lobbied
decision makers to promote passage of
legislation that has been languishing in the
parliament since 2009.

3. Social media banner about an interactive
play about censorship produced by MARCH.
The play was censored by the Lebanese
Government.
MARCH
In times of crisis, LCAC's social media
skills turned into an important asset for local
civic actors. When about 60 organizations
came together to plan a peace march in
April 2013, LCAC was tasked with social
media outreach on behalf of the coalition.
Social networks played a critical role in drawing a crowd of about 2,500 people-Sunnis, Christians and
Alawites-to call for peace in the troubled city, generating extensive press coverage.
From Elite Circles to Grassroots
While digital tools can help small organizations like LCAC raise local issues to national attention, they
are also being used by more established NGOs such as Maharat to expand grassroots reach.
When it partnered with PACE in late 2012, Maharat had virtually no social media presence. It now runs
an independent news portal @with 38,000 likers on Facebook@. Much of the content is developed
by journalism students from six Lebanese universities, who earn academic credit for their work.
"Maharat News is a space where up-and-coming journalists can practice what they learn in the
classroom in a neutral setting," says Mikhael. "We cover topics that are often neglected in the traditional
media, such as issues faced by youth, women and marginalized groups. Because we're not affiliated
with any political party, we can cover these issues openly, without self-censorship .... We don't have
political considerations, only professional ones."
Before joining the digital world, Maharat was primarily known in media circles and among decision-
making elites given its role in introducing legislation to modernize Lebanon's antiquated media laws.
Going online has allowed the organization to engage youth in the reform debate.
"During our partnership with PACE, we realized the importance of using multiple platforms to get our
messages across," says Mikhael. "We went through internal restructuring to integrate digital
technologies in all of our work. We developed a social media strategy, expanded our partnerships with
universities, and broadened our circle of stakeholders to reach deeper at the grassroots level and in
different parts of the country. It was a major turning point for our organization."
Influencing Traditional Media
NGOs' ability to foster debate and galvanize public support via social media is not lost on traditional
outlets.
"We as journalists are getting story ideas from social media," seasoned television reporter Tania
Mehanna told civic activists at a media innovations fair organized by PACE in June 2013. The fair
brought together over 200 people to discuss increasing convergence across media platforms and
leveraged $35,000 in contributions from digital marketing firms.
Participants agreed that social media is a vehicle for social change, but that traditional outlets could not
be ignored given their mass appeal. An opinion poll commissioned by PACE in 2013 found that
television remains the primary source of information for 90 percent of the Lebanese. The Internet-
including news sites, social media and mobile apps-is the second most popular source for 66 percent
of the population.
Recognizing the predominance of television, the Lebanese Economic Association @ (LEA) created a
series of video spots@ about socioeconomic problems such as youth unemployment, the high cost of
living, and discrimination against women in the workplace. First released on social media, the series
reached 68,000 people via Facebook and YouTube, creating buzz among civic activists and bloggers.
LEA then secured free airing for the videos on three lV channels, gaining a rare opportunity to raise
awareness of economic policies that have a direct impact on citizens' lives.

4. "The videos were produced in a format attracti~ for television, but it was the solid content that got our
messages on the screens and into people's homes," says Georgina Manak, LEA project manager.
Georgina Manok, Lebanese
Economic Association project
manager, appears on a
Lebanese television broadcast
to discuss the organization's
video series about
socioeconomic rights. The
videos aired 250 times on three
TV channels for free.
PACE
The young economist describes social media as a "game changer" that has influenced the way NGOs
work. "We used to produce technical reports with excellent research and viable solutions to our
country's problems, but few people read them," admits Manak. Today, LEA relies on multimedia tools
such as infographics and animation to simplify complex economic concepts for the layperson.
"We still produce well-researched studies," she says. "But we're also reaching beyond economic
experts to the a~rage citizen through our blog, Facebook and videos."
The Online-Offline Nexus
In a country with a history of sectarian conflict and 18 officially recognized sects, the potential of social
media to unite citizens around common interests is felt by civic actors such as Nahnoo, a youth-led
NGO championing better public space policies. The issue is especially relevant in urban centers such
as Beirut, where the a~rage area of greenery per capita is estimated at 0.8 square meters, far below the
minimum of 9 square meters recommended by the World Health Organization. The lack of green spaces
is compounded by the misappropriation of public areas by private sector interests due to corruption and
go~rnment inaction.
''To have an impact, howe~r. online activism must complement action on the ground," says Mohamad
Ayoub, the group's executi~ director.
In the fi~ years since its founding, Nahnoo has in~sted in creating a di~rse pool of youth AJiunteers
who are trained in leadership and communication skills. "They gained the knowledge to speak with
confidence about public space issues," Ayoub says, adding that the youth helped grow the
organization's reach from its Beirut headquarters to other parts of the country, such as Tyre and
Baalbeck. In all three cities, Nahnoo AJiunteers recently mobilized hundreds of citizens in events aimed
at reclaiming neglected public spaces, using online platforms to publicize offline actions.
"If you're not on social media nowadays, it's like you don't exist," says Ayoub. Nahnoo documents its
work on itswebsite i!fl, Facebooki!?, Twitter@ andYouTube J!il.
"By doing this, we are modeling the transparency we want to see in public decision making," he
explains. "This helps us gain the trust of our online followers. That's why when we call for action, they
answer the call."

5. Nahnoo staff and volunteers celebrate the fifth
anniversary of the organization with its
founder, Mohamad Ayoub, center, in white
shirt.
Karam Ghossein, Nahnoo
The effecti>ve integration of online and offline
activism has turned Nahnoo into a reference
on public space issues that is frequently
cited by traditional media, decision-makers
and researchers for its niche expertise.
Another young NGO, MARCH@, has
similarly built a reputation as a resource on
censorship issues. With the catchy slogan,
"you ha>ve the right NOT to remain silent,"
MARCH uses bold and thought-proOking
messages in its digital campaigns. Its
'Virtual Museum of Censorship@"
documents censored works since the 1940s
and its two Facebook pages
- MARCH @ and Stop Cultural
Terrorism @-grew virally to a combined
24,000 likers, without any paid ads.
The issue of censorship is increasingly resonating with Lebanese youth and free expression adOcates
due to penalties, arrests and interrogations of se>veral bloggers, journalists and playwrights in recent
years. When MARCH teamed up with the Lebanese playwright and theater director Lucien Bou~eily to
produce a play about censorship, little did it expect that the play would be banned by go>vemment
censors or that Bourjeily's passport would be temporarily confiscated before a trip to London. Social
media networks played an important role in mobilizing support for the NGO and Bourjeily, whose
passport was returned within 48 hours of the public outcry.
As for the play, whose trailer@ has attracted o>ver 10,000 views on YouTube, MARCH exploited a legal
loophole and was able to perform it on uni>versity campuses and generate mass media co>verage of
censorship issues.
"Ultimately, social media is just a tool," stresses MARCH President Lea Baroudi. "Inciting people to act
is the most important but also most difficult stage of online engagement."
Realizing this, MARCH networks offline with uni>versity students, artists and legal experts to push for
reform of Lebanon's censorship laws and practices. "We're not just talking online, we're acting offline
too," says Baroudi. "As a result, decision makers consider us in their decisions. They take us
seriously."
NGOs like MARCH appear to be fighting an uphill battle. The 2014 Media Sustainability Index 15?,
which was de>veloped for worldwide use by USAID and assesses media performance in fi>ve key areas,
ga>ve Lebanon a low score of 1.96 out of 4.0. The country fared e>ven worse, at 1.23 points, when it
comes to the extent to which the media ser>ve public needs.
Notwithstanding those rankings, "some TV stations ha>ve recently begun to more deliberately gi>ve
platforms for citizens' Oices," says Mikhael. "Social media has a lot to do with this. Traditional outlets
see that a new generation of Lebanese is heavily engaged on social media. They need to cover the
issues that matter to them to keep their audience ratings."
Ghada Khouri is the chief of party for the Promoting Active Citizen Engagement program.

6. Youth volunteers test the
mobile application launched
by the Association for
Development in Akkar and
three partner NGOs in Tripoli.
The app allows citizens to
report on the quality of public
services in marginalized
neighborhoods.
Noura Sayah, Utopia for Social