Jul, 2026
How Electronic Tablets Are Opening New Doors for Girls in North Lebanon
For many girls, access to education extends far beyond the classroom. It depends on having the right tools to learn, explore and stay connected to opportunities. Through the SAWA project, Anera is helping remove those barriers by expanding access to digital learning for vulnerable girls in North Lebanon.
As part of SAWA's commitment to safe, inclusive and quality education, Anera distributed 50 tablets to girls and education staff, strengthening access to digital learning and supporting educational continuity. While simple in appearance, the devices represent much more than new technology. They are opening pathways to knowledge, independence and opportunity.
The tablet initiative complemented SAWA's broader package of support, which includes education cash assistance, school retention activities, psychosocial support, child protection and gender-based violence prevention, protection monitoring, caregiver and community engagement, and social and behavior change activities. Together, these interventions help create an environment where girls can continue learning safely and confidently.
For 14-year-old Amar from Nahr El Bared Camp, the tablets fulfilled a request that she and her classmates had made only weeks earlier.
"When Anera and guests visited us in the classroom, we were asked about things we needed," Amar recalls. "We asked for tablets to help us learn, read and research. Not too long after, we received them!"
Before receiving her tablet, Amar relied on borrowing her mother's mobile phone whenever it was available.
"I used to borrow my mom's phone to read school material and look things up. The screen was too small for my eyes, and it was not available all the time," she says.
"I used to borrow my mom's phone to read school material and look things up."
The tablet has transformed how Amar learns. Instead of depending on limited access to a phone, she now has a dedicated device for schoolwork, research and study.
"We asked for tablets and not books because learning is different now," Amar explains. "We need to be engaged, play as we learn, look at visuals and videos. It makes us curious and want to learn more."
The devices provide girls with access to educational applications, online learning platforms, school materials and English-language resources, while making it easier to complete assignments and continue learning beyond the classroom.
The initiative also recognized that expanding digital access must go hand in hand with digital safety. Alongside the tablet distribution, girls and their caregivers participated in awareness sessions on responsible internet use, online privacy and protection from digital risks.
"The tablet isn't just helping me get closer to my dream of becoming an English teacher; it is bringing my mom and me closer as well."
"On the same day we received the tablet, we also had an awareness session with our moms," Amar says.
"We learned about the risks and benefits of the internet and how to protect ourselves and keep ourselves safe. Technology is purposeful and powerful; you can use it to do schoolwork, but you can also learn how to do crafts and start a small business, you can look up new healthy recipes to cook, you can stay up to date and achieve so much."
For Amar, receiving the tablet was a moment she will never forget.
"When I first received the tablet, I was overwhelmed with joy, and I was shocked that it actually came," she says with a smile. "My friends and I did an unboxing video like celebrities!"
But one of her favorite memories happened after she brought it home.
"The first day I brought it home, the first thing my mom and I did was open the camera. We took a photo together. It was our very first photo together on a big, beautiful screen. We looked at ourselves and said, 'Wow, we look beautiful!' That moment meant so much to us."
What began as a tool for learning has since become something the family shares together.
"Since then, we've been using it together to learn English on Duolingo. It's our thing now," Amar says. "The tablet isn't just helping me get closer to my dream of becoming an English teacher; it is bringing my mom and me closer as well."
Education staff also benefited from the initiative, using the tablets to prepare learning materials, manage documents and spreadsheets, communicate professionally, and access and share educational resources with students. These new tools help strengthen the quality and efficiency of educational support for girls participating in the program.
The tablet initiative demonstrates how digital inclusion can strengthen education when paired with protection, psychosocial support and community engagement. By reducing barriers to learning while promoting safe digital practices, SAWA is helping girls build the skills and confidence they need to shape their futures.
Sometimes, the impact of a tablet cannot be measured only by the lessons it delivers. Sometimes it is measured by a girl's growing confidence, a shared learning experience between mother and daughter, or a dream that suddenly feels a little closer to becoming reality. Join Anera in expanding access to quality education, digital learning and protection for vulnerable children across the SWANA region.
