Lebanon · Since 2023

نكون

Weexist

A community-rooted, rights-based organization in Lebanon. Led from inside the communities we work with, women and LGBTQIA+ people, with ties across Syria.

What we do → The Akoon fellowship

A green plastic monobloc chair with a cup of mint tea on its seat

01 · Where we stand

Nakoon is a community-rooted, evidence-informed and rights-based organization. We are locally driven and locally accountable, grounded in Lebanese realities while connected to international standards of humanitarian practice.

Community-ledEvidence-informedRights-based

أين نحن

Where we stand

02 · Mission

مهمّتنا

Open the system

We strengthen the role of women and the LGBTQIA+ community through capacity building, applied research and community-driven initiatives, so that those most often shut out of systems of power can take part in them, benefit from them and shape them.

Lebanon · with strategic ties across Syria

A green louvred Beirut shutter, swung open

03 · Vision

رؤيتنا

Vision

Inclusive, sustainable communities led by women and LGBTQIA+ people, where compounding inequalities no longer decide who takes part, who is protected and who leads.

Beirut apartment blocks at night, windows lit green and pink

04 · Values

ثوابتنا

Non-negotiables

Everyone we work with is treated with respect and without conditions on their worth.
We hold our ethical standards regardless of convenience, funding, or who is watching.
We design programs to remove barriers, and we ask those most likely to be excluded what they need first.
Communities are partners in our work, not beneficiaries of it. The results belong to them.
We answer to the communities we serve first, with transparency and honesty even when things go wrong.
We adjust to people's different starting points, because equal treatment is not always fair.
We stand alongside the communities we work with as members of the same justice movement, not as outside helpers.

Tap a value to open it

05 · What we do

عملنا

Four pillars

Every pillar starts from priorities that communities define themselves.

LGBTQIA+ leadership and economic participation

We build the community's power to lead, earn and shape decisions, so people can change the systems they are part of, not just enter them.

Capacity and community development

We equip communities and marginalized groups with the skills and support to drive their own development.

Applied research and knowledge production

Community-based, policy-relevant research, made with the communities it concerns and readable by the people who use it.

Institutional strengthening

Advisory and technical support that helps local organizations build governance, systems and real capacity instead of dependency.

06 · Programs

برامجنا

Programs

Each program starts from what a community says it needs, and runs with the organizations that know the field best.

01 Akoonأكون A humanitarian fellowship for LGBTQIA+ refugees in Lebanon Fellowship7 months
02 More soon New programs are in development.

06 · Programs · Akoon

أكون

Akoon · I am

The individual inside the collective we are. A humanitarian fellowship for LGBTQIA+ refugees in Lebanon.

A fluorescent strip light with a warm pink glow

WhoAges 19 to 40

Duration7 months

Modules12

Cohort15 to 20 fellows

LanguageArabic

No background in human rights needed, no prior knowledge of the topics, no academic level required. Every module is co-facilitated with an organization that works in that field.

Akoon · The curriculum

12 modules

اثنا عشر محوراً

00Foundation

Opening and community building

A brave space where people feel safe enough to be honest and present before any content begins.

01Knowledge

Human rights and legal literacy

The language, logic and architecture of human rights, so fellows can use it, not just know it.

02Skills

Documenting violations

Safe, ethical documentation usable by courts, journalists, advocacy groups and UN bodies.

03Identity

SOGIESC, rights and inclusion

A shared, non-judgmental understanding of SOGIESC, tied to rights, protection and dignity.

04Protection

Digital safety and security

Tools installed and habits built before anyone leaves the room.

05Health

Sexual health and HIV

Accurate, shame-free sexual health education, with links to prevention, testing and treatment.

06Health

Gender-affirming care and the law

Clear information on care options and the legal landscape trans and gender-diverse people navigate.

07Health

Substance use and harm reduction

A public health and rights lens that reduces stigma and connects people to services.

08Legal

Asylum and detention rights

How the asylum process works, your rights if detained, and legal support in Arabic.

09Rights

Freedom of religion and belief

A universal right: to change religion, to have none, and to practice freely.

10Digital

Ethical AI use

How AI works, who it harms, and how to use it safely.

11Environment

Climate and environmental justice

Why environmental damage hits marginalized communities hardest, and what communities can do.

Akoon · Program goal

المجتمعات تقود · ونحن نساند

Communities lead.

We support.

A generation of informed, connected and protected human rights defenders from Lebanon's most marginalized communities, acting with safety, knowledge and solidarity.

07 · Theory of change

نظرية التغيير

LGBTQIA+ communities gain structured access to rights knowledge, digital safety, health literacy, legal tools and a strong peer network,

Then

they are better able to protect themselves, support their own and host communities, and push for systemic change,

Because

individual strength, rooted in community and backed by institutions, builds both personal resilience and collective action.

An open metal cabinet with a radio, thermos, vase and files

07 · Where change shows up

Four levels of change

أربعة مستويات

Individual

Confidence in your rights, safer digital and physical habits, less isolation, and access to health and legal services.

Community

Stronger peer networks, violations documented, community-led initiatives launched and knowledge shared outward.

Organizational

Referral pathways activated and tracked, community data informing advocacy, alumni back as co-facilitators.

Systemic

Violations submitted to the right mechanisms, community voices in policy and donor spaces, coalitions across cohorts.

08 · Campaigns

حملاتنا

Campaigns

Public campaigns that say out loud what people are told to keep quiet.

Launching soonPublic health · HIV

مش ايدزة

Mish Aidazeh

Know · Your · Status

Plain information on HIV, testing and treatment, without shame or judgment. In Arabic first.

Get updates →

09 · Emergency and human rights violations

الطوارئ والانتهاكات

Emergency and violations

Document a violation → Emergency response

Emergency response

الاستجابة الطارئة

When the war reached our communities

The war destroyed fragile infrastructure and pushed people into shelters with little safety or privacy for queer and trans people. Mainstream responses spoke of "vulnerable groups" without naming or reaching ours. Nakoon's volunteers closed that gap from inside the community.

The Israeli war on Lebanon · October 2023 to November 2024

09 · Emergency response · 2024 in numbers

7,840

meals served, self-funded, by volunteers

750

individuals reached directly

502

program participants

1,252+

total community reach

$14,000+

cash disbursed to 101 people

150

gallons of drinking water

mattresses

clothing boxes

people housed in 3 collective homes

Before dedicated funding, Nakoon moved its own resources and proved the model works.

In 2026 the response continues with dedicated funding: outreach, needs assessments, cash and medical assistance, informal shelter support, case management and referrals, with safeguarding for everyone involved.