Lebanon’s Empowerment & Building of Assistant Nurses for Universal Resilience & Skilled Education

forthcoming

Lebanon is currently experiencing one of the most severe financial and economic crises in modern history. One of the key challenges is the critical shortage of nurses in the country. According to the World Health Organization, Lebanon has a nurse-to-population ratio of just 1.9 nurses per 1,000 people, significantly lower than the international average of 9 per 1,000 people. This shortage profoundly impacts the quality of healthcare for the most vulnerable segments of society and requires urgent attention. The LEBANurse project is a targeted initiative to tackle Lebanon’s healthcare crisis by bridging the nursing and midwifery education gap through vocational training (VET). The project focuses on training women from underserved communities, particularly vulnerable populations, refugees, and migrants, as skilled nurse aides. This training equips them with essential nursing skills, thereby supporting Lebanon's strained nursing workforce by delegating certain healthcare services to community-based trained individuals. In addition to addressing the scarcity of nursing personnel, the LEBANurse project also aims to create economic and social empowerment opportunities for these women, who often face financial and accessibility barriers to higher education. By developing and implementing a VET program that prioritizes work-based learning and practical experience through placements in primary healthcare centers, community-based settings, and mobile healthcare units, the LEBANurse project aspires to produce job-ready assistant nurses and midwives who can seamlessly integrate into the healthcare system.