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Photo Essay – Empowering Lebanon's youth
Sustainable and Inclusive: With ILO, Vengo redefines logistics in North Lebanon
Social entrepreneurs in Lebanon successfully grew their businesses through EMDAD, an ILO PROSPECTS-led initiative that offered financial support, personalized coaching, technical training, and networking opportunities, boosting their community and economic growth. Learn how Vengo's innovative approach and community focus are redefining delivery services amidst Lebanon's economic challenges.
27 May 2024
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Vengo is offering environmentally friendly delivery across Lebanon, redefining the perception of delivery services in the country’s north, where delivery personnel are often viewed as financially struggling individuals reliant on tips with a negative image.
As Lebanon's first eco-friendly delivery company, Vengo primarily uses electric bikes for their operations. Also, Vengo provides employment opportunities for individuals who may not have the means to afford a bike, fostering inclusivity and sustainability in their workforce.
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“Since I was young, I’ve dreamt of owning a company that fosters a family-like community through job opportunities,” Alameddine says.
Founded in 2020 with friends, Vengo faced challenges during the country's crisis, pausing due to unsustainable gas prices.
“We started again in 2022, growing rapidly. We focus on food delivery via WhatsApp, serving both restaurants and individuals, with fees applied. We also handle office pickups and home deliveries. Now, we maintain an average of 140 daily orders, a solid result given the country’s current economic circumstances,” he says.
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“With their support, we got new bikes with lithium batteries and backup power, ensuring seamless delivery by swapping exhausted batteries for charged ones.
Drivers work eight-hour shifts. Older bikes are repurposed for part-time drivers, optimizing our resources.
“We have 13 bike drivers and recently added two for car operations. Our core team has seven members, with part-time and maintenance staff totalling 12. Gasoline bikes cost about $500 each, while eco-friendly electric bikes are around $2,000 each,” he says.
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“We have charging stations for our electric bikes. For e-commerce, we use traditional cars and a tuk-tuk due to limited electric vehicle infrastructure and costs. We aim to switch to electric cars when infrastructure and costs improve. Currently, we run three cars and one tuk-tuk for e-commerce,” he says.
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“We have ventured into e-commerce, modelling after international logistics courier companies,” Alameddine says. “Our division serves diverse businesses, from clothing to electronics shops. They request our services through our online portal, and our drivers swiftly pick up, scan, and deliver items within 48 hours across Lebanon. What makes us unique is our same-day payment to shops, unlike competitors who usually settle every ten days.”
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“My dedication to professionalism in Tripoli society addresses a crucial need. After six years in the US, I returned to contribute despite friends leaving. This commitment resonates, leading to increased appreciation and collaborations.
Apart from our core work, we engage in community initiatives like fixing potholes, creating positive impacts. Our rigorous hiring includes thorough checks and interviews for drivers, ensuring team integrity. They represent not just us but also our reliability.”
About EMDAD
Young entrepreneurs from 18 social and solidarity economy entities (SSEs) managed to successfully launch and scale up their businesses in Lebanon, expanding their activities while improving the lives of their communities through EMDAD (Arabic for support), a one-year ILO Prospects-led initiative, supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Entrepreneurs, start-ups, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with social impact projects were selected through a country-wide application call in April 2023. Shortlisted entrepreneurs who passed this first step followed through the following pitching process a few months later. Here, they had the chance to describe their projects, goals and ways the support received would help them thrive and make a difference across their communities.
Through EMDAD, select projects received up to 20,000USD in the form of grants along with six months of personalized coaching sessions, technical training, and access to networking events. This eventually equipped them with the required tools and support to succeed. The full initiative ended in March 2024.
One of EMDAD’s key objective has been supporting the creation and growth of social enterprises to generate decent and tangible employment opportunities, addressing the urgent socio-economic needs the country is facing amid its ongoing multi-level crisis.
Fostering social cohesion and inclusivity was another crucial element at the core of the initiative. Engaging vulnerable Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees through employment opportunities within their shared society proved to be a valuable step in improving individual and the community’s livelihoods.
EMDAD was implemented in collaboration with makesense Lebanon, Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo (COSV) and Research and Professional Services for the MENA Region (RPS).
Throughout the project, we documented the work of the select SSEs across Lebanon, capturing the work of several of the initiatives we supported, whose insights into their journey and impact you will find below.