Low economic participation
Women's participation in Lebanon's labour force fell to 22.2% in 2022, and only about 16% of working-age women are actually employed.
Ready to implement 2026–2027 Family development
Bayt Muntij (A Productive Home)
Empowering homemakers to earn an income from home through digital skills
Income from home... with a single phone
The idea in one sentence
We help women turn the skills they already have, such as cooking, sewing, crafts and teaching, into regular income through phone-based digital marketing, with follow-up until their first earnings.
The problem
Cost-of-living pressure on families
Poverty rose from 12% in 2012 to 44% in 2022, and extra income became a need, not a luxury.
Skills without a market
Many women have marketable skills but lack marketing, pricing and self-confidence.
Sources: Labour Force Survey, Central Administration of Statistics and ILO (2022); UN Women (2023); Poverty and Equity Assessment for Lebanon, World Bank (2024)
Target groups
- Homemakers and non-working women aged 20 to 55.
- Priority for women who support their families.
- Women in the Foundation's five regions.
Methodology
Phase 1 — Skill discovery
Individual and group sessions to identify each woman's skill and study her local market and the right price.
Phase 2 — Hands-on training
6 weeks: photographing products with a phone, setting up WhatsApp Business and Instagram accounts, pricing, customer service and simple financial management.
Phase 3 — Launch and follow-up
A collective digital showcase under the “Bayt Muntij” name, links to orders from associations and partners, six months of monthly follow-up, and support groups among participants.
Success factors
Low entry cost
It relies only on a phone, so it needs no large capital and is little affected by power cuts.
Ongoing marketing support
Al-Inmaa Center's digital agency supports participants with design and content.
A ready first market
The Foundation's network and partners in the regions, plus Lebanese expatriates as a market for products.
Targets and impact indicators
- 60Women trained
- 50%Share earning an income within 6 months
- 20Products and services shown digitally
- 80% or moreProgramme completion rate
- 4Active support groups
- $400Average monthly extra income
All figures on project cards are targets, not achieved results, unless stated otherwise.
Challenges and how we address them
| Limited time and social constraints | Sessions close to home at flexible times, with a remote-training option. |
|---|---|
| Low self-confidence | Success stories from women who went before, support groups, and celebrating the first sale. |
| Low purchasing power | Focusing on reasonably priced products, and on associations' and expatriates' markets. |
Lessons the project is built on
- Start from the skill she already has, not from a new idea; the fastest success comes from what a woman already does well.
- A first income changes a woman's confidence more than any training, so we design the programme to reach it quickly.
- Follow-up after training is half the project; most initiatives stall in the second month without accompaniment.
Why it deserves to be showcased
Impact measured in income
A clear, tangible indicator: how many women earned an income, and how much.
Transferable
It suits any community with women outside the labour market and a smartphone in every home.
Tackles poverty from inside the family
It strengthens the family's economy without the woman having to leave her home.
Sustainable Development Goals
- 11.2 No PovertyGoal 1: No Poverty
Reduce at least by half the proportion of people living in poverty in all its dimensions
- 55.5 Gender EqualityGoal 5: Gender Equality
Ensure women's full participation and equal opportunities for leadership
- 88.3 Decent Work and Economic GrowthGoal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Support productive activities, entrepreneurship and small enterprises
Goal 1 because extra income eases poverty; Goal 5 for women's economic empowerment; Goal 8 for small-enterprise entrepreneurship.
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