At our Vocational Training Program in Burj Hammoud, our primary mission is to reach teens with the life-changing message of the Gospel while equipping them with the skills for a brighter future. One shining example of this is our new business course.
Read on to see how it empowered underprivileged youth to start their businesses.
“I used to be very goal-oriented, but then the Lord flipped my perspective upside down when He called me to ministry. He showed me that the greatest thing I can achieve is to impact people’s lives,”
Chadi Melki, Business course instructor at our Vocational Training Program (VTP) in Burj Hammoud.
At the start of this year, Chadi stepped down from his role as Business Manager of Heart for Lebanon to follow a new calling from God. Part of this calling was to create a free business course for underprivileged people, empowering them to start their own businesses. One day, Chadi was talking with his wife Joyce, a sewing instructor at VTP. He shared his vision of teaching the students how to start, sell, and market their own businesses to complement their vocational skills.
He said:
It’s great to teach them how to make a product. That’s a good start. But if we don’t show them how to market and sell, they’ll get lost and discouraged. This has been a dream of mine for the past year, but I didn’t know how to make it happen. So, in conversations with the center manager, we launched this pilot at YFC, hoping it might expand to other churches and organizations.
Starting in April, Chadi and two other instructors began teaching business classes to a group of dedicated teens at VTP. The sessions were divided into three parts: the first focused on theory, such as critical analysis and risk-taking. The second part covered customer service and social media marketing. The third part tackled financial management and writing a business plan. Each teen crafted their own unique business plan, with ideas ranging from photography to packaging, wood furniture, crochet, handmade accessories, video editing, web development, graphic design, and more. The instructors then selected the four best business plans for further support, helping those students pitch to investors and apply their plans in real life.
Chadi shared:
Each girl has her own niche, and their sense of autonomy blew me away. They’re creative, imaginative, talented, alert, and motivated. Even the quiet ones showed remarkable skill during practical applications. It’s impressive—especially considering their ages. These are teens who dropped out of high school, not university students. Their motivation is truly fascinating. I know university students from well-educated, affluent families who lack direction. Here, I met teens without those privileges who have clear goals and are ready to work hard to achieve them.
The true impact of this course is best understood through the voices of the teens themselves. Here are some of their inspiring stories and reflections:
Salwa, 18
I learned so many useful things about starting a business, like pricing strategies, that will make profit more attainable. My dream of becoming a fashion designer now feels more achievable and exciting. Even though we were in a group, I felt like the instructors were working with me individually. Their focus on each of us made a big difference. I was so proud to develop my business plan, and the encouragement I received made me feel like I’d already succeeded.
Shams, 19
I recently launched a video editing page on social media, a skill I’ve had since 2017 and wanted to turn into a business. Initially, I lacked knowledge and commitment, but this course provided invaluable details. I learned essential skills like shooting my own footage. Additionally, Sidra and I, both trained in graphic design, now assist with VTP’s social media.