BBAC and Live Lebanon Inaugurate New Football Field in Shebaa

BBAC and Live Lebanon unveiled a new project in the village of Shebaa in the South of Lebanon. The project, which was funded by Live Lebanon’s Goodwill Ambassador for Western Europe Mrs. Bouran Boueiri, constructed a football field with the support of the Municipality. The project was inaugurated in a ceremony in Shebaa, which was attended by representatives of the UNDP and BBAC, in addition to Heads of Municipalities from neighboring villages.

After the national anthem, the Head of Municipality Mr. Mohammad Saab praised the efforts of the Live Lebanon initiative in establishing the football field in the village, thanking all those who had participated in the completion of the project. The UNDP representative, Mr. Raghad Assi, emphasized the commitment of UNDP to supporting similar initiatives across the whole country. The Head of Marketing at BBAC, Mr. Tarek Bilal, stressed that ‘BBAC will continue its efforts to support development projects which bring joy to Lebanon and Lebanese people together.’ As for Mrs. Boueiri, she expressed her happiness at the completion of the project, emphasizing her continuing support for the Live Lebanon initiative as a way to realize sustainable development.

This project included setting up a football field as a way to strengthen sporting ability among the village’s children.

BBAC Endorses Economic Activity in Aley District

BBAC was one of the main sponsors of Aley Development Forum, which aim was to discuss and analyze the economic, social and developmental challenges in the district of Aley. 

Mr. Ghassan Assaf, Chairman and General Manager of BBAC, applauded the efforts made for the improvement of Aley, stating: “This conference is a good precedent of the work required in order to attract investors to Aley and open the door for economic and investment opportunities.” He pointed out that Aley, through its institutions and establishments, could potentially become “an important hub for Arab markets.”

Mr. Raja Makarem, Head of Project Finance and SME Division at BBAC, also spoke at the forum, during the section regarding the role of SMEs and the challenges that face them. In his speech, he said, "BBAC pays particular attention to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, providing them with a number of different kinds of subsidized loans. These include ‘Kafalat’ loan guarantees and subsidized loans from the Central Bank of Lebanon, which are characterized by competitive interest rates and concessional terms." Mr. Makarem then went through the advantages of these loans and explained their mechanisms and conditions.

Mr. Assaf, for his part, also went on to say that, “Aley is suitable for small and medium enterprises,” and that “the development and endorsement of these institutions is a critical step in fostering economic, social, and human resources in developing countries as well as Lebanon.”

He emphasized the role of BBAC’s long history of supporting economic activity in Aley, and reiterated that the banking sector will also have an important role in economic development for it is in its best interests to secure steady financial growth throughout the region.

Mr. Assaf then went on to thank all the attendees for making this forum a success and expressed his hopes that Aley would play a major role in the renewed development of the country’s future.

Participating in the forum were current and former ministers, MPs and director-generals of specialized ministries, as well as municipality and municipality union mayors, business owners, traders, investors, and heads of associations, clubs, and civil, youth and student councils.

BBAC Launches a 14 Year-Old Ballet Star to the World

It had always been Reine’s dream to become a world-class ballerina, and the documentary “Ballerina Reine: Dancing Beyond Beirut” at the American University of Beirut (AUB) revealed how Nawaya Network, in partnership with BBAC, gave Reine the opportunity to share with the world her lifetime journey that took her to New York to realize her dancing ambition.

Coming from an underprivileged background in Lebanon, fourteen-year-old Reine had a distinguished talent and passion for ballet and her instructors immediately took notice. They reached out to Nawaya Network, which partnered with BBAC on this project, and took Reine and her mother to the United States where she was able to work with world-class dance instructors and dance with other aspiring ballerinas, honing and developing her technique and ability.

BBAC Chairman and General Manager, Sheikh Ghassan Assaf, gave an impassioned speech at the event, in which he expressed his pride in BBAC for its commitment to the project, and his pleasure at seeing Reine’s development during her time in the US. "BBAC’s motto has always been 'Our Caring Bank', and we take this motto seriously, striving to have a positive impact wherever we can. In the story of Reine we found a girl who had immense talent, but who had not been able to realize her full potential. We hope that our partnership with the Nawaya Network, will have given courage not only to Reine, but to talented young stars just like her across Lebanon".

Zeina Saab, the executive director of the Nawya Network stated that: “What Reine’s story tells us is that there are so many youth around us with great potential, so if we just provide them with the resources they need to thrive, we’ll not only be impacting their lives, but we’ll also be making a difference throughout our community and country”.

The documentary film was extremely well received by all attendants, and the atmosphere in the room following the screening was one of hope and optimism. Reine’s leap for the stars has proved to be one towards a brighter future.