How it Began
Similar to other peripheral villages at the Lebanese southern border, Rmeish suffered from frequent conflicts with over two decades of occupation. Social activities, e.g. clubs and sports facilities, are hardly a priority for the central ministries, or even for the villages municipality - given the other pressing burdens such as solid waste management. Late 2007, a youth group of 12 people met and decided to bring forward the idea of forming a sports club in Rmeish.
How it Worked
The project included the basic leveling of the land, a steel fence, and two new prefabricated units - one as WC, and the other is used as an office.
Success Story
With technological advances and the rise of smartphones and computer games, football remains a favorite activity that encourages youth to go out and play, proving to be the healthy entertaining alternative.
The poor condition of the existing football field in Rmeish, a village situated in the South of Lebanon, resulted in frequent waterlogging, cancelled matches, and difficulty opening the site up to a wide audience. The ground was covered with weeds and strewn with rocks, the fence and the goalposts were rusty, and the unkempt goal-nets flew freely with the wind. Most importantly, safety measures were missing.
UNDP Live Lebanon believes that improving playing fields will increase the number of youth who play sports, contributing to healthy and active communities, in addition to the social interactions that arise during games between villages. Therefore, a project was launched in June 2010 to develop and improve the football field of Rmeish.
Thanks to the generous contribution of UNDP Live Lebanon Goodwill Ambassador Mr. Ghaleb Farah, football-lovers of Rmeish and the surrounding villages can now train and enjoy their favorite sport in a safer and fully renovated football field.
“This project is wonderful, it’s so nice to see our kids play. We have many guest coming over, and our Syrian brothers play with our children. It’s great to see them coexist.”