Tag Archives: Lebanon

Children Incorporated |

Renowned for its towering cedar trees, Lebanon boasts fertile valleys, snow-capped, ore-rich mountains, and – in a region where water is scarce – sixteen rivers that flow into the glistening Mediterranean Sea along Lebanon’s western coast. This small Middle Eastern country has an incredibly rich culture, evincing the influence of Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman Turk, and French culture.

Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of children living in poverty in Lebanon since 1964. 

However, Lebanon’s wealth of diversity has also contributed to its turbulent history. Lebanon continues to suffer repercussions of a history riddled with wars – both civil and international. Poverty, unemployment, and the ever-present threat of war are tragic realities here. 

Challenges for Children in Lebanon

In Lebanon, children’s very lives and futures are at risk, as they struggle with poverty and lack of educational resources. Right now, children in Lebanon need your help.

–  About 78% of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line,
with 36% percent of the population living in extreme poverty
– Nearly 7% of children are forced to join the workforce
to help support their families
– With a very high number of refugees living in the country, the rate of
extreme poverty is high among immigrants fleeing violence in their home countries
– Many refugee children face trauma and live in poor conditions in refugee camps

Our Work in Lebanon

Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of children living in poverty in Lebanon since 1964. 

We work with our volunteer coordinators in local communities to provide health and nutrition, education, hygiene items, clothes, shoes, and other essentials that help children and families rise above the poverty in which they live.

Our strategy is to focus on individual children through our sponsorship program, ensuring they are receiving exactly what they need on a regular basis.

Your support makes it possible to help children in crisis in Lebanon.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Lebanon?

You can sponsor a child in Lebanon in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in Lebanon that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

SOURCES:

https://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/lebanon-multi-dimension-poverty-index-shows-53-residents-were-poor-crisis

https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/rising-numbers-lebanese-families-unable-afford-food-education-their-children

Education, Stories of Hope, Lebanon

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written by Children Incorporated

We provide children living in poverty with education, hope and opportunity so they have the chance for a brighter future. Thanks to past and current supporters around the globe, we work with 225 affiliated sites in 20 countries to offer basic needs, emergency relief, and community support to thousands of children and their families each year.

» more of Children's stories
Shelley Callahan |

Lebanon is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Israel to the south and Syria to the east and north. This country of six million people acknowledges eighteen religious groups, the largest being the Shiite and Sunnite Muslims; there is also a large Christian population in the country.

Up to the end of World War I, Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, the League of Nations issued France a mandate allowing it to govern Syria and Lebanon. Twenty-three years later, Lebanon gained its independence.

Since 2006, Lebanon has been politically divided into two almost equally-strong camps, whose conflict has prevented the political institutions in the country from functioning. The internal struggle between the two groups is mostly based on social and economic clashes of interest, linked with religious differences.

Other factors also play a huge role in the strife that exists in Lebanon. Internal disagreements over the conflict in neighboring Syria play a part, as well as foreign countries’ involvement and interests in the Syrian War. Both internal and external arguments on how to handle the crisis in Syria only worsen the current situation in Lebanon. Today, more than a million Syrian refugees have been registered in the country.

Although Lebanon has been rebuilding itself steadily, the well-being of children has largely been undermined by these geopolitical circumstances. The country still has a long way to go before reaching an ideal situation, where the protection of children’s rights is taken into full consideration.

Facts about child poverty in Lebanon

  • Almost 30% of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line
  • About 10% of children in Lebanon do not attend school
  • Roughly 7% of children are still forced to work to support their families
  • Some children in remote villages are still not guaranteed drinkable water
  • More than 10% of young Lebanese women said have been married before the age of 18
  • Children from Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugee families in Lebanon especially face difficulties living in poverty as their rights are not protected

 

Read more about our affiliated projects

Our sponsored children in Lebanon receive basic needs thanks to their sponsors.

In Lebanon, we are affiliated with several projects: The Armenian Evangelical Schools in Beirut, the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School in Anjar, and the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf.

Serving a Marginalized Population in Lebanon

Helping Children in Lebanon Hear

Aiming to Prepare Deaf Children for the World

The Toll of Political Turmoil on Children

From Trash to Treasure

How you can help children in Lebanon

You can help a child living in poverty in Lebanon in a few different ways. One way is through our child sponsorship program. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments.

Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the knowledge that someone cares about their well-being.

This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential — physically, emotionally and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.

Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites in Lebanon who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care. Sponsorship donations are sent to our projects — orphanages, homes, community centers and schools — at the beginning of each month in the form of subsidy stipends. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use those funds to purchase items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.

SPONSOR A CHILD IN LEBANON

You can also help children in Lebanon by donating to one of our special funds. Our special funds offer a variety of giving options for sponsors who wish to further their support, as well as for donors who wish to make a difference without making a commitment. In the past, thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund and our International Feeding Program, we have been able to further support our projects in Lebanon beyond sponsorship.

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Education, Stories of Hope, Lebanon

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written by Shelley Callahan

Shelley is the Director of Development for Children Incorporated. She is also the lead social correspondent, regularly contributing insights through the Stories of Hope blog series. Sign up for Stories of Hope to receive weekly email updates about how your donations are changing the lives of children in need.

» more of Shelley's stories
Shelley Callahan | En Español

Sometimes it seems that what we provide for our sponsored children around the world is so simple that it couldn’t possibly make a huge difference in their lives — but in reality, the simple things do often make a lasting change.

In reality, the simple things do often make a lasting change.

Our volunteer coordinator at the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School in Anjar, Lebanon wrote us a letter of appreciation after we recently provided  vulnerable children in our program with school supplies that he insists are allowing them to continue to pursue their dreams of getting an education:

A note from Reverend Hagop

“We appreciate your generous donation that was used to purchase stationary, paper, books, pens, pencils, and rulers for the children who are in the Children Incorporated program.

The stationary items were purchased, and the students received them with great joy and appreciation. The children were in great need of them, since their parents were unable to afford buying them due to the economic depression and degeneration of the Lebanese currency against the foreign currencies. But now, due to your generous contribution, the children are able to follow their education with greater ease and joy.

Thanks to their sponsors, children in Lebanon have brand new school supplies.

Our school administration along with the school parents and teachers appreciate the thoughtfulness and consideration of our sponsors and the great work achieved by the Children Incorporated program.

We hope and pray that your program continues its blessed work in aiding children in need around the world.”

About Lebanon

Renowned for its towering cedar trees, Lebanon boasts fertile valleys, snow-capped, ore-rich mountains, and – in a region where water is scarce – sixteen rivers that flow into the glistening Mediterranean Sea along Lebanon’s western coast. This small Middle Eastern country has an incredibly rich culture, evincing the influence of Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman Turk, and French culture. However, Lebanon’s wealth of diversity has also contributed to its turbulent history. Lebanon continues to suffer repercussions of a history riddled with wars – both civil and international. Poverty, unemployment, and the ever-present threat of war are tragic realities here.

About our affiliated site

Recognized as a World Heritage Site, Anjar is located near the Syrian border in the fertile Beqaa Valley, where much of the nation’s vegetables, grains, and wine grapes are produced. In the 1930’s, an influx of Armenians (a minority ethnic group in Lebanon) fleeing Turkey settled here.

“We hope and pray that your program continues its blessed work in aiding children in need around the world.”

To this day, Armenian agricultural laborers who earn very little comprise an extensive portion of Anjar’s population. For this reason, the Armenian Secondary School serves as a beacon of hope. Serving both boys and girls of this impoverished and marginalized population, the school contains an attached boarding home for students whose parents cannot afford to send them to school. In conjunction with Children Incorporated sponsorship, the Armenian Secondary School provides these deserving children with the opportunity, through a well-rounded education, to rise above the difficult socioeconomic circumstances that they face.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Lebanon?

You can sponsor a child in Lebanon in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in Lebanon that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Education, Stories of Hope, Lebanon

Read More

written by Shelley Callahan

Shelley is the Director of Development for Children Incorporated. She is also the lead social correspondent, regularly contributing insights through the Stories of Hope blog series. Sign up for Stories of Hope to receive weekly email updates about how your donations are changing the lives of children in need.

» more of Shelley's stories
Shelley Callahan | En Español

We recently received a letter from our volunteer coordinator at the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID) in Lebanon that we wanted to share with our sponsors and donors. Amidst all that has happened since 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are thankful to hear that there have been some good things to come out of the harder times for children in our program — and their families:

Parents being involved more in the education of their children enhanced family bonds, which stimulated the children’s development even more.

Greetings from the FAID Family

“Dear Friends and Supporters,

Thank you on behalf of the FAID family for all the support we have received from you over the years, especially during the last two years. Running our school in an economic crisis in the middle of a pandemic has been highly challenging.

A school cannot be run without staff. With your help and support, we have held onto our team and continued paying wages. However, the hyperinflation in Lebanon has reduced the buying power of the wages by a lot. One Lebanese pound is now worth less than one-tenth of what it was two years ago. But your support has enabled us to provide food parcels on three occasions for everyone – students, families, and staff – connected to the school.

Students are back in the classroom at FAID after an 18-month period at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 also offered a blessing by helping parents in Lebanon become teachers of their deaf children. Several lockdowns reduced our face to face teaching time severely. So, we needed to find another way to help our children and their parents develop their educational skills. Our staff made several videos on a particular topic each week. The video “OPPOSITES,” for example, explained all about up and down, in and out, high and low, etc. These videos, made for WhatsApp, were easy for parents to use.

Parents being involved more in the education of their children enhanced family bonds, which stimulated the children’s development even more, and most of all, reduced the emotional trauma that exists in families having children with special needs.

The value of continued support

Furthermore, providing audiology support, hearing aid maintenance and batteries during COVID is very challenging. Again, because of the help of Children Incorporated and their sponsors, we could put in the safeguards and precautions to make it possible.

We would heartily appreciate your keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Our political and economic situation is extremely worrying. There is a shortage of medicine, fuel, electricity and sometimes food, and the prices are going up on a daily basis. We know we can depend on your continued support, and for that, we are tremendously grateful.”

***

How do I sponsor a child in Lebanon?

You can sponsor a child in Lebanon in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in Lebanon that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Education, Stories of Hope, Lebanon

Read More

written by Shelley Callahan

Shelley is the Director of Development for Children Incorporated. She is also the lead social correspondent, regularly contributing insights through the Stories of Hope blog series. Sign up for Stories of Hope to receive weekly email updates about how your donations are changing the lives of children in need.

» more of Shelley's stories
Shelley Callahan |

We are happy to share with you our Spring 2021 Newsletter, highlighting our work around the world thanks to our sponsors and donors and their generosity and dedication in helping children in need. Enjoy!

Tablets Are Bringing Education to Children Around the World

Many children in our sponsorship program are experiencing exceptional difficulties during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, as schools have had to shift to virtual learning. These adjustments have been hard on parents, teachers and children — especially for those students who don’t have the technology they need at home to keep up with their course work.

We are happy to share with you our Spring 2021 Newsletter, highlighting our work around the world thanks to our sponsors and donors and their generosity and dedication in helping children in need. Enjoy!

Thankfully, because of our amazing donors, Children Incorporated has been able to provide tablets to children in our program in Latin America, India, and in the United States over the last few months so that children can continue learning until schools are back to in-person learning in the near future. These tablets will allow students to keep up with their studies and do not have to be returned when classes resume so children can keep learning at home after the pandemic as well!

Bringing Joy to Children During the Holiday Season

Our sponsors and donors are often the only reason children in our program receive holiday gifts, and for that, we are incredibly grateful — especially after an exceptionally difficult year for so many families.

On behalf of all our volunteer coordinators around the world, we would like to share a message from Sandy at Beaver Creek Elementary in Kentucky to express our gratitude for the holiday gifts you provided:

“Thank you for all the support you give our children. You are our backbone. We couldn’t survive without Children Incorporated. Merry Christmas to all Children Incorporated staff and sponsors!”

Our Warm Clothing Fund Brings Smiles to Children in Need

Brain poses for the camera with this new clothes.

Every year, your donations to our Warm Clothing Fund do more than just keep children properly clothed — it also brings immense joy to children who otherwise might never get new winter clothes.

Our volunteer coordinator, Monica, at Gouge Elementary School in North Carolina wrote to us about Brian*, after she provided him with warm clothes, thanks to his sponsor: 

“I showed Brian the new clothes I bought him, and he is loving it. He said, ‘I just love clothes!’ And I took the picture in that moment. The mask is hiding his laughter. We both got tickled because he got so much clothes, he couldn’t hold all of it.  The socks are in his book bag.

This was definitely the highlight of my week. Thanks to Children Incorporated sponsors for all you do, and for letting me be a part of this!”

*Name changed to protect the child.

 An Interview with Board Member, Liz Collins

Our President and Chief Executive Officer, Ron Carter, recently sat down with our Board Chair, Liz Collins, to discuss her long and valuable relationship with Children Incorporated.

RON: Liz, you first became involved with Children Incorporated in 2003 when you accepted a job as a sponsorship coordinator. You later served as Director of Marketing and Development. What are your recollections of your time as an employee of Children Incorporated?

I loved being able to share all of the amazing work that went on in our programs with our donors.  As a result of their giving and the tireless efforts of our volunteer coordinators, we changed a lot of lives.

Liz Collins, Board Chair

LIZ:  I loved being able to share all of the amazing work that went on in our programs with our donors.  As a result of their giving and the tireless efforts of our volunteer coordinators, we changed a lot of lives.

RON: Do you have any special memories of that time?

LIZ: I do. The stories of the children who graduated from high school and went on to college are special to me. I recall one particular story of how we were able to send funds to have a child’s driveway paved so that he could use his wheelchair to get to the bus. Before that, his brother had to carry him down the driveway to the bus each day. I also think about the incredible artwork of Roberto Andrade, one of the children in Latin America who benefitted from our program. There are so many more wonderful  memories!

RON: You left Children Incorporated in 2010, shortly after your son, Noah, was born, but I asked you to return to Children Incorporated as Board Member at the start of 2015, and you willingly agreed.  Just a few months after you joined, Steve Holton, our then chair, was forced to resign due to health reasons, and you were selected as Board Chair. In your wildest dreams, did you ever see that coming?

LIZ: No! I was truly taken by surprise with the sudden turn of events, but honored and humbled to be able to serve the organization in a new way.

RON: As Board Chair, what are your impressions of Children Incorporated? What are you most proud of? What is it about Children Incorporated that you most value?

LIZ: Children Incorporated might be among the smaller sponsorship organizations, but it is by far the most personable. That’s what I love, and I truly believe our donors and volunteer coordinators value that attribute as well. We’re transparent in our funding, and we’re extremely conscientious about our overhead so that much more of every dollar raised can go to the children, families, and communities we serve.

RON: I agree that our personality as an organization, as well as our transparency, are the keys to our continued success. But I also have to say that we have a wonderful network of volunteer coordinators, and our small but loyal staff really is incredible.

Emily was very excited to receive school supplies thanks to her sponsor.

LIZ: Yes, I agree completely. That old saying “It takes a village” really applies. That is how I see Children Incorporated. The staff, our donors, and the volunteer coordinators, all working together, make it all happen. And, it’s a village I’m very proud to be a part of and to serve in.

Still in Need of Ordinary School Supplies  

School closures have meant big changes for families and children in our program, but despite the adjustments that the pandemic required, students still need the most basic items that Children Incorporated has always provided for them.

While many of our sponsored children are learning remotely at home, either partially or wholly, they still need ordinary school supplies, especially the younger ones. Emily*, received a bundle of new supplies at home thanks to her sponsor and promptly wrote to him to say that she loved everything — especially the dry erase board and matching magnets. From her photos, you can see that Emily’s sponsor has made her  incredibly happy as she adjusts to home learning!

*Name changed to protect the child.

A Special Thank You to Our Partner, the Jeunesse Kids Foundation

 In January 2021, we were approached by the Jeunesse Kids Foundation to participate in a fundraiser they were hosting virtually. Jeunesse Kids is dedicated to creating a positive impact in the lives of children worldwide, and the foundation is funded and supported by a vast community of caring individuals who are passionate about building a better tomorrow for young people in underprivileged communities around the world — which very closely aligns with Children Incorporated’s mission and vision.

We are very proud of you, Kris!

Thanks to the efforts of all of the Juenesse Family, their fundraiser raised over $102,000 for Children Incorporated from donors around the world over the course of a weekend which will go towards purchasing tablets for virtual education children in Peru, Argentina, the Philippines, Kentucky and New Mexico, repairing a greenhouse at the St. Michaels Special Education School in Arizona, and towards expanding on skills training programs at the Montero School in Bolivia. We are incredibly grateful for their support!

From Sponsored Child to Attorney: Our Higher Education Fund at Work

We want to send our congratulations to Kris in Honduras for receiving her University Degree at the end of 2020. Kris has been in our sponsorship program since 1999. Thanks to her sponsor and our Higher Education Fund, she was able to attend school over the last twenty years and now has graduated as an attorney. We are very proud of you, Kris!

A New Roof at the Dandora Center in Kenya

While students were out of school for remote learning, we were able to continue to support our projects thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund so administrators could repair buildings in anticipation of the return of students in the near future.

At our affiliated project, the Dandora Center in Nairobi, Kenya, a new roof replaced an old worn one which will protect the children from poor weather and heat when they are back in classrooms.

READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER

Shelley Callahan | En Español

This story was written prior to yesterday’s horrible tragedy in Beruit. We have connected with our volunteer coordinators in the country who have informed us that our affiliated projects have not been affected at this time. We will continue to update our supporters as we find out more information. 

With lockdown in place as of March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebanon saw itself quickly decline into economic collapse — further damaging the lives of residents who were already suffering from job loss and financial insecurity. Banks restricted citizens’ access to cash, and at the same time, the value of the Lebanese pound plummeted.

We hear from our volunteer coordinator, Gladys, at the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID), about how they are continuing to support children, in large part thanks to our donors, through the country’s health and economic crisis.

We hear from our volunteer coordinator, Gladys, at the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID), about how they are continuing to support children, in large part thanks to our donors, through the country’s health and economic crisis.

“Unfortunately, the schools in Lebanon are closed until further notice, and we do believe it will be impossible to open again soon.”

“We are still delivering courses through our Facebook and other online groups specially designed for each grade.”

“Despite the situation in Lebanon regarding the economy and the virus, we have still been able to provide hearing aids to the children in our program, thanks to donations from Children Incorporated. We were able to take earmold impressions, as well [as hold] speech sessions and  provide parental guidance [as] part of our outreach work with the Lebanese and Syrian refugees.”

About Lebanon

Renowned for its towering cedar trees, Lebanon boasts fertile valleys, snow-capped, ore-rich mountains, and — in a region where water is scarce — sixteen rivers that flow into the glistening Mediterranean Sea along Lebanon’s western coast. This small Middle Eastern country has an incredibly rich culture, evincing the influence of Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman Turk, and French culture. However, Lebanon’s wealth of diversity has also contributed to its turbulent history.

Lebanon continues to suffer repercussions of a history riddled with wars — both civil and international. Poverty, unemployment, and the ever-present threat of war are tragic realities in the country which have been exacerbated in recent months due to COVID-19.

Our affiliated projects

Thanks to our donors, we are able to provide support to our projects in Lebanon through the pandemic.

The Armenian Secondary School – Anjar
Anjar, Lebanon

In the 1930s, an influx of Armenians (a minority ethnic group in Lebanon) fleeing Turkey settled in Anjar, Lebanon, near the Syrian border. To this day, Armenian agricultural laborers who earn very little comprise an extensive portion of Anjar’s population. For this reason, the Armenian Secondary School serves as a beacon of hope. Serving both boys and girls of this impoverished and marginalized population, the school contains an attached boarding home for students whose parents cannot afford to send them to school. In conjunction with Children Incorporated sponsorship, the Armenian Secondary School provides these deserving children with opportunity through a well-rounded education.

Armenian Evangelical Schools
Beirut, Lebanon

The Armenian Evangelical Schools were first established in 1964 by the late Stephen Philibosian, a successful Lebanese-American businessman. In the years since their inception, these schools have enabled thousands of children in Lebanon to be educated.

The Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf
Beirut, Lebanon

Founded in 1957, the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf provides deaf children with basic education and specialized training to become self-sufficient. It plays a crucial role in giving these hearing-impaired — and often destitute — children the opportunity to rise above the challenging circumstances that they face.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN LEBANON?

You can sponsor a child in Lebanon in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in Lebanon who is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD