We Are United in Our Dedication to Children’s Rights

ABOUT US

Connect Children Now/DCI Lebanon

Established: 2014 in Beirut

Registration Number: 494

18 Centres in Lebanon

Total number of beneficiaries reached so far: 21,600

At Connect Children Now (CCN)/ Defence for Children International (DCI) Lebanon, we are more than an organization; we are a movement dedicated to safeguarding and championing the rights of children across Lebanon and neighbouring regions. Since our inception in October 2014, registered under number 494 with the Ministry of Interior, we have been unwavering advocates for the mental health and psychosocial well-being of refugee and displaced children, as well as women affected by conflict-induced displacement.

Our approach is holistic, covering emergency response, education, legal aid, protection services, advocacy campaigns, and meaningful child participation. With a clear five-year strategy in place, we aim to directly impact 28,000 children and their families from 2020 to 2025, ensuring their safety from violence, exploitation, and neglect while facilitating accessible education. Connect Children Now is a proud chapter of Defence for Children International.

Vision and Mission:

At Connect Children Now/Defence for Children International (DCI), we believe that every child deserves to be respected and have their fundamental rights guaranteed, regardless of their background. We envision a world where children can fully enjoy and exercise their rights with dignity in a just and responsible society.

Background CCN/DCI Lebanon: 

Connect Children Now/DCI Lebanon is a grassroots nongovernmental organization emerges as an innovative mental health advocate offering a psychosocial support methodology tailored to the unique needs of children residing within conflict zones and crisis-stricken environments. With roots deeply embedded in Arabic culture, this methodology is a nurturing cocoon where children harness their inherent strengths, cultivate resilience, and embrace an optimistic outlook. Thorough evaluations showed its remarkable influence on children’s self-esteem, behaviour, and attitude, evidenced through enhanced energy levels, heightened self-confidence, improved school performance, fortified relationships, and the acquisition of adaptive problem-solving skills.

In addition to our focus on mental health and wellbeing, we also prioritize gender equality. Gender Justice is fundamental to our organization’s mission, as we are dedicated to empowering women and girls and promoting equality through personalized training programs designed for both mothers and daughters. Our proposed emergency response initiatives include providing essential tools for successful integration into society, access to education, and promoting health and hygiene practices. Through these comprehensive efforts, we aim to create a more inclusive and equitable world where individuals can thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Objectives: 

Our objectives are clear:

  1. Provide a reference point for local, national, and international efforts to promote, protect, defend, and develop the human rights of every child.
  2. Ensure immediate and accessible protective mechanisms for children whose rights are threatened, restricted, or violated.
  3. Create social and educational frameworks to raise awareness and shape public opinion on children’s rights.
  4. Implement projects and initiatives to protect children’s rights directly and effectively, especially in areas underserved by existing organizations.
  5. Develop inquiry and complaint strategies, nationally and internationally, to address individual and collective violations of children’s rights.
  6. Support the establishment of public spaces for meaningful child participation and decision-making.
  7. Monitor the development and implementation of policies, laws, and actions involving children.

Guiding Principles:

Connect Children Now/Defence for Children International (DCI) abides by these principles:

  1. The best interests of the child.
  2. Recognition that children’s rights are human rights.
  3. The doctrine of integral protection.
  4. Child participation as essential for fully exercising rights.
  5. Promotion of life and peace.
  6. Pursuit of a fairer international economic order.
  7. Gender, age, and cultural equality.
  8. Inter-institutional and inter-sectorial coordination.
  9. Shared responsibility of government, society, community, and family.
  10. Compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international instruments.
  11. At CCN/DCI Lebanon, we are committed to making these principles a reality for every child, every day.