Letter from the President

Dear Friends,

In November 1990, to fulfill the vision of my husband, the late President René Moawad, I created the René Moawad Foundation. In the last fifteen years, through our efforts to promote sustainable human, economic, and rural development, we were able to make the following achievements: bring health services to remote areas, provide literacy and vocational training for rural women and working children, enhance farmers' capacities, and promote the development of civil society, democracy, and human rights.

Without the generous support of our donors and partners whose solidarity and faith in our capabilities has enabled us to come this far, we would have not been able to implement all these projects- for this I thank all those that have offered their support from the bottom of my heart.

As for the next 15 years, we hope to continue growing and expanding our activities as we strive to promote the social, economic, and rural development of Lebanon , and contribute to the building of a responsible civil society that strengthens Lebanese national unity, democratic values, and social justice.

Currently, as the year 2005 is nearing its end, we are implementing numerous activities in four different yet complimentary domains, while creating a synergy between our development projects in an effort to fully address the needs of the most disadvantaged in Lebanon .

In the health domain, our three mobile dispensaries continue to be the only source of health care to the most remote villages of the region and our Community Clinic continues to be a cornerstone of health services in Zgharta.

Our Agricultural Center of the North (CAN) has also gained in stature over the years through the technical assistance and services that it offers, encompassing all the stages of production, from the purchase of plants or animals to the marketing of the final product. It has become a model for others on both the national and regional levels.

In Lebanon , one out of three rural women is illiterate and a growing number of children between 9 and 18 are forced to drop out of school to work. This is unacceptable in a modern democratic country; therefore, we have expanded our education and social development activities that aid rural women, youth, and working children, to reach all of Lebanon .

As we continue to work towards building a responsible civil society, we have also expanded our work in democracy and human rights to advocate for children's rights and raise awareness in schools throughout Lebanon on the principles of human rights and democracy.

In these critical times, I thank you for your support and urge you to continue to work with us in the future.

Beirut, 27 October 2005

Nayla René Moawad

President