Twenty years of building community, from the mountains up
“Beity” means my home
Beity is a Lebanese non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded in 2004. It started with a simple belief: a community grows stronger when everyone in it has an equal chance to learn, take part and lead, especially children, young people, women and people in rural areas.
Auberge Beity, our youth hostel in Kfardebian, grew from that idea. Licensed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and a member of Hostelling International, it welcomes groups from Lebanon and abroad, and its income helps fund the association’s work independently.
Our vision: a healthy, strong society with equal opportunities for everyone, so people can build a better future for themselves and their communities.
Our values: equality, empowerment, networking, good governance, accountability, transparency and humanitarianism.
Three interconnected pillars
Some projects contribute to more than one pillar, so they appear in each section they belong to.
Governance & Social Accountability
Good governance begins with informed, engaged communities and institutions that respond to people’s needs. We work with municipalities, public institutions and civil society to strengthen transparency, accountability and citizen participation, with particular attention to women and youth in decision-making.
As a founding member of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in the Arab World (ANSA-AW), we train communities in tools such as Community Scorecards and support citizen-led initiatives.
Projects (13)
| Project | Period |
|---|---|
| Governance and Participation in Public Life (GPPL) | Sep 2025 – Mar 2026 |
| Women in Municipalities – Women’s Participation in Public Leadership | Ongoing |
| Women Peacebuilders in Public Institutions (WPPI) | Dec 2023 – 2025 |
| Participatory Municipalities (PM) | May – Dec 2023 |
| Municipal Police with a Community Participatory Approach | Jun – Aug 2023 |
| Women’s Participation in Disaster Management Accountability | 2021 – 2022 |
| Legal and Procedural Reality of Laws Supporting Social Accountability in the Arab World | 2020 – 2021 |
| Participatory Approach through Accountability in Municipalities – PAAM Part 2 | 2020 |
| ANSA as a Reference for Social Accountability in the Arab World | 2019 – 2020 |
| Institutionalization of the Social Accountability Network in the Arab World | 2018 – 2019 |
| Participatory Approach through Accountability in Municipalities (PAAM) | 2018 |
| Enhance Arab Youth Roles in Their Communities to Make Positive Change | 2016 – 2017 |
| Women & Health | 2015 |
Sustainable Development
Rooted in hostelling, responsible tourism, environmental protection and rural development, we connect people, places and local resources. Lebanon’s landscapes, heritage and rural communities are assets to preserve and develop responsibly.
Through Auberge Beity we welcome Lebanese and international visitors, schools and associations. We organise hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and heritage visits with local residents, and have long campaigned for reforestation, waste education and the protection of Kfardebian’s Natural Stone Bridge.
Projects (3)
| Project | Period |
|---|---|
| Destination Management Organization – DMO Keserwan | Apr 2023 – Mar 2024 |
| Tourism Resorts Towards Sound Environmental Management | 2020 |
| Kfardebian Ski Trail | 2014 – 2015 |
Social Development
People are at the heart of our mission. Guided by dignity, equality and social justice, we work with children, youth, women and rural, underserved and crisis-affected communities, including displaced people and host communities.
Colonie Beity (since 2005), Beity Youth for Development, volunteer camps, youth exchanges and the Women’s Bureau for Development in Kfardebian are some of the spaces we have built for people to learn, find their voice and lead.
Projects (5)
| Project | Period |
|---|---|
| Women-Led Inclusive Recovery | Apr 2026 – Jun 2027 · ongoing |
| Governance and Participation in Public Life (GPPL) | Sep 2025 – Mar 2026 |
| Women in Municipalities – Women’s Participation in Public Leadership | Ongoing |
| Women Peacebuilders in Public Institutions (WPPI) | Dec 2023 – 2025 |
| Empowering Youth Communication and Volunteerism (EYCV) | 2018 |
Milestones along the way
Beity is founded
A civil, non-profit association in Kfardebian focused on youth, volunteering and rural development.
Colonie Beity opens
A summer school for local children, run by young monitors from the village. Over 800 children took part by 2016.
LEAD volunteer camps
Educational volunteer camps with the University of Balamand, the Ministry of Education, USAID and IOCC, with over 150 participants.
Auberge Beity licensed
Registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (No. 132/1/2008), member of the Lebanese Youth Hostel Federation and Hostelling International.
Recognised for our work
The Smart Center Award (2013) and the “Most Impressive Project Idea” award at the MEPI LAA NGO Exhibition (2014).
Kfardebian Ski Trail
Cross-country ski trails opened with USAID and the municipality, 25 monitors trained by the German Ski Association, and a free winter school for at least 20 residents.
Social accountability across the Arab world
A youth programme in 7 Arab countries and the founding of the ANSA-AW network.
Women Peacebuilders and DMO Keserwan
Partnership with the Lebanese Army’s Gender Directorate, and a destination management organisation engaging 250+ tourism stakeholders.
Women-Led Inclusive Recovery
Ongoing work with women from displaced and host communities, running until June 2027.
Partners and networks
The people behind Beity
Staff, board members and volunteers who keep Beity running, from Kfardebian to Zouk Mikael.
Dr. Josephine Zgheib
President
Rita Zgheib
Public Relations & Media Officer
Jouana Belleh
Property & Equipment Officer