School Transformation Projects

nafda’s School Transformation Projects (STPs) support schools to strengthen learning environments, leveraging agency and student outcomes.The projects enable students, educators, and community members to work together to identify priorities within their school context and collectively  design solutions that respond to their unique needs.

Rather than treating citizenship as an abstract concept, STPs create opportunities for them to  put these values into practice, themes that emerged include STEAM, wellbeing, agripreneurship, Media Literacy and Information. A key part of the journey is collaboration between nafda schools. By sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and learning from one another, schools strengthen their ability to address challenges and adapt successful approaches to their own contexts. These connections inspire ideas, provide solutions and most importantly foster meaningful dialogue across communities and reinforce the values of cooperation, active citizenship, and shared responsibility.

Areas of Focus

School Transformation Projects address priorities identified by each school community. These may include:

STEM/STEAM

Nurture a maker’s mindset in students by encouraging critical thinking, solution-oriented creativity, innovation, and experimentation. Through hands-on learning in coding, robotics, 3D printing, and craftsmanship, students develop practical skills with a strong emphasis on societal impact.

Equitable and Inclusive Education

Create safe, inclusive learning environments that meet diverse student needs. This ensures confidence and support through their learning journey.

Media and Information Literacy​

Equip students with the skills to critically navigate and create in the digital landscape.​

Student Skills Development​

Foster experiential, inquiry-based learning through hands-on projects that integrate technology, sustainability, and problem-solving.​

Case Studies

A Collaborative STEAM Initiative: Maroun Abboud Secondary School

At Maroun Abboud Secondary School, the STEAM initiative began with a community visioning process. Through questionnaires, surveys, and discussions with students, parents, and local stakeholders, the school identified STEAM as a shared priority and a practical way to respond to the needs and aspirations of its community.

Building on this vision, Maroun Abboud Secondary School developed its own STEAM lab and learning model, creating opportunities for students and teachers to engage in hands-on, project-based learning in coding, robotics, design thinking, and digital fabrication. As the school built its experience and internal capacity, it became a reference point for other schools interested in introducing similar approaches.

Through nafda’s school-to-school collaboration model, Maroun Abboud Secondary School then supported other schools in launching hands-on tech education initiatives. Rather than transferring a ready-made project, the collaboration allowed each school to learn from MAOS’s experience and adapt the model to its own context.

This gave the initiative a strong active citizenship dimension: schools from different areas across Lebanon came together to exchange knowledge, share resources, and work toward solutions rooted in their communities. Students were not only gaining technical skills; they were also practicing collaboration, shared responsibility, and community-oriented problem-solving.

Scaling is the process of expanding successful school transformation projects to new communities while tailoring each project to their unique needs. It involves experienced schools mentoring new ones, creating a ripple effect of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and sustainability. This approach equips schools with the tools, resources, and networks to drive lasting impact.

One success story of many: Scaling a STEAM project through Maroun Abboud Secondary School

Maroun Abboud Secondary School successfully expanded a STEAM project designed to help students apply skills like coding, robotics, and design thinking to real-world challenges. Starting with three mentee schools, the project later extended to two more, each setting up dedicated learning spaces. This mentorship-based model has since been adopted by various schools across different projects, nurturing a culture of shared learning, innovation, and peer-driven growth.

Bahiya Hariri Public High School for Girls – Wadi Khaled Gave female students the chance to learn coding, design, and 3D printing, helping them work on solutions for issues pertaining to waste management and agriculture. École des Religieuses de Nazareth – Kfarzeina Guided students in building websites for small businesses and social initiatives, including a platform that connects volunteers with people in need. Al Manar Modern School – Ras El Matn Focused on helping students with learning difficulties and making eco-friendly products. Majdel Baana Secondary School – Aley Focused on developing students’ digital skills like coding and web development, empowering them to create their own online projects. Maroun Abboud Secondary School - Aley Where it all started — a single school’s initiative that sparked collaboration and innovation across Lebanon. Rashaya Public High School – Rashaya Used 3D printing and robotics to turn classroom lessons into real projects, even winning a competition for a device that helps visually impaired individuals. The Impact Through this model, Maroun Abboud Secondary School supported the transformation of five schools, helping 300 students and 30 teachers develop problem-solving skills, technical abilities, and projects that directly serve their communities! Phase 1: Expanding to Three Schools Maroun Abboud Secondary School supported Bahia El Hariri Secondary School, Al Manar Modern School, and Rashaya Public High School in launching hands-on tech education initiatives. This phase focused on sharing knowledge through coaching, training, and exchange. Participating schools were able to build on Maroun Abboud’s experience while shaping the initiative around their own school environments and community needs. Building on what they learned with Maroun Abboud, Bahia El Hariri Secondary School helped scale the model to additional schools: Majdal Baana Secondary School, Rashaya Public High School, and École des Religieuses de Nazareth – Kfar Zeina. As part of this phase, two shipping containers were transformed into fully equipped mobile technology labs, creating dedicated spaces for hands-on learning in coding, robotics, and digital fabrication. These labs provided students and teachers with access to tools that support experiential learning and project-based education. This second phase showed how school-to-school collaboration can grow beyond one partnership. What began as one community-driven initiative became a wider Phase 2: Expanding with Mobile Tech Labs

The Impact

Through this collaborative effort, five schools engaged more than 300 students and 30 teachers in hands-on learning experiences focused on problem-solving, technical skills, and community-oriented projects.

The initiative also supported the creation and activation of STEAM learning spaces in several schools, giving students and teachers access to tools and approaches that support experiential learning.

Beyond the numbers, the initiative created a ripple effect. Schools that benefited from Maroun Abboud’s experience were able to build their own capacity, adapt the model to their communities, and contribute to its expansion.

What Might Come Next

Looking ahead, Maroun Abboud Secondary School aims to continue sustaining the initiative within its own school community by training a new cohort of students. This would build on the knowledge of previous cohorts, with former participants supporting newer students alongside the school’s continued training efforts.

The school also hopes to continue expanding the model to reach more schools, depending on available resources and opportunities for collaboration. This next phase would further strengthen the initiative’s sustainability, allowing knowledge to be passed on from one cohort to another and from one school community to the next.