The Stabilization Facility for Libya rehabilitates two educational centers for ‎children and women

September 1, 2020

Representatives of Sebha Municipal Council, Director of the Al-Akaber Center for Education, SFL Coordinator in Sebha, and representative of the local implementing company during the delivery of the Al-Akaber Center for Eduction. Photo: UNDP/Ali Alshareef

Sebha, 2/September/2020 –    Sebha Municipal Council received from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) the keys to the Omar bin Al-Khattab Primary School and the Al-Akaber Center for Women Literacy completely rehabilitated by the Stabilization Facility for Libya (SFL).  Led by national and municipal Libyan institutions, UNDP’s SFL aims to strengthen the legitimate and internationally recognized state authorities and foster national unity for all Libyans, giving an effective voice to women and youth.

Omar bin Al-Khattab School building did not receive any maintenance in 10 years. It lacked windows which caused students to experience cold weather inside the classrooms during the winter. The water cycle system in the building was also deteriorated, causing an overall unhealthy environment for students. The Facility repaired doors, windows and toilets. It also installed water tanks, the lighting in the classrooms, laboratories and the administration offices, as well as renovated the pump and electricity system. Now 900 students will learn, and 135 teachers will work in good conditions.

The handover of the school and centre was attended by the Mayor of Sebha, Mr Al-Shawash Gharbal, members of the Municipal Council, the Mayor of Al-Qardah, the coordinator of the Stabilization Facility for Libya in Sebha, and representatives of local implementing companies.

During the handover ceremony, Director of Omar bin Al-Khattab School, Mr. Medhat Abd Al-Salam, said: "The rehabilitation has addressed problems that have been ongoing for decades. All the residents now admire the results of the SFL initiative. Hence, I would like to thank UNDP for its very decisive contribution.”

Initially, the Al-Akbar Centre was an incomplete building structure, lacking basic functional elements such as proper installation of doors, windows and toilets, even the walls were not painted. The Facility rehabilitated the Centre and provided it with an integrated sewing factory, a power generator, as well as equipment for a meeting room and classrooms with furniture and air conditioners. 200 women and girls will now be able to gain different skills at the Centre.

Ms. Rabaa Muhammad Yusuf, Director of the Al-Akaber Center, said: "I did not expect the change to be this transformative. The rehabilitation motivated me and my colleagues to think about adding new activities to the centre that will empower women in Sebha. I thank UNDP and the Stabilization Facility for Libya for this great effort. "

Mr. Abu Bakr Jamaa Bashir, Member of the Sebha Municipal Council stated: "We are happy because we are seeing a change that serves real stability in the municipality, and that will have a positive impact on all components and spectrums of the community, and we hope to see more projects that serve citizens in the municipality."

UNDP Resident Representative in Libya, Mr. Gerardo Noto, acknowledged: “SFL is providing quick rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and delivering equipment to support local authorities to help improve services for people in Libya. We have been implementing projects in Sebha in coordination with the Municipality since 2017 and we will continue to do so, supporting the Municipality on its way to stabilization, development and the achievement of the sustainable development goals. We are working to support all people in Libya, West, East and South, but definitely the Fezzan Region required special attention for all its needs, and we are increasing our support along with public institutions and international partners”.

SFL, implemented by UNDP with the support of the Government of Libya and international partners, works in collaboration with national authorities and public companies to support municipalities to rehabilitate essential service facilities and boost capacities to improve basic service delivery around the country.

For more information, or media interviews please contact: media.ly@undp.org