FORUM FOR DEVELOPMENT CULTURE AND DIALOGUE

FDCD builds on its founding members 20 years experience in community organizing, leadership, training, spritiual reflection and response to marginalization and dehumanization. FDCD's vision is to reach and enlightened Arab world where political views, ethnicities and religions are incorporated into a richly diverse culture of peace and dialogue, respecting and promoting the human rights of all citizens. FDCD promotes peace building, equal citizenship and human rights through its humanitarian responses and by creating common spaces of dialogue and building the capacity of community and civil society groups to be catalysts of peace. FDCD respects the dignity of every human being, values the diveristy of cultures, encourages dialogue and solidarity and perceives justice as the long term foundation for peace. FDCD carries out humanitarian programs in both lebanon and Syria to respond to imminent needs generated by war (in Syria) and by the deteriorating financial and economic crisis in Lebanon. in order to achieve a longer term impact, FDCD is also implementing livelihood projects thro ugh which it provides women breadwinners with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools tobecome self sufficient and capable of providing for their families. FDCD has been providing food assistance to 8.000 families in Syria since 2012 through monthly distribution of food parcels. 200 families in Lebanon also received direct assistance from FDCD in the past two months of confinement. besides direct humanitarian assistance, FDCD works on community mobilization through programs that aim at creating spaces of dialogue for people coming from different backgrounds to meet, overcome their stereotypes and fear from the other, and work together on spreading a culture of openness and understanding. these dialogue spaces target youth as well as community leaders and aim at building their conflict resolution skills, raising their awareness to active citizenship and promoting a culture of peace.