Refugee Appeal - February 2021 Update
…as you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for me…
Since December of 2015, The Outreach Foundation has been a partner with a “hands-on” outreach in Lebanon that helps Syrian refugee mothers care for their newborns. Together, For the Family (TFF), led by its Executive Director, Izdihar Kassis, started this ministry upon realizing the dire need of parents to care for their newborn babies while living in tent camps.
Izdihar shares this reflection:
The poor living conditions and the inability of the parents to provide basic necessities for their newborn babies motivated us to address this matter. We started the ministry by supporting only four babies, caring for their needs for the first year of their lives. With the support of many friends and by God’s grace we were able to help 540 babies by the end of 2019. TFF not only provided physical needs for the babies but held special meetings for their mothers to educate them and to help them face the challenges in their own lives. These meetings were also an opportunity to share the love of Christ with these mothers and to pray for them and their babies.
Our plan was to help 90 new babies in 2020, but this plan was devastated by several challenges: the collapse of Lebanon’s economy where the Lebanese pound lost 80% of its value, the crazy rise of the prices of basic items that babies need, the difficulties of withdrawing money from our bank account and the inability to visit the camps because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to these unexpected challenges, TFF was able to help 20 new babies in 2020. However, our medical clinic continued to help the refugees and among them were 120 babies who received medical care and medicine in 2020.
The UN estimates that 60% of the Lebanese population is under the poverty line. The situation is much worse for Syrian refugees. This difficult situation led us to care for the family as a whole so we provided more than 440 families with food, cleaning materials, and medicine in 2020. Our goal for 2021 is to provide 50 babies with their basic needs. The annual cost to meet this goal is $50,000 ($1,000 per baby).
Whenever The Outreach Foundation “shows up” in Lebanon (often!) we always are inspired by what we experience of TFF’s sundry services to refugees, like their small dental clinic or the sewing school which provides a path out of poverty for young girls. But the baby ministry is especially compelling as you experience deep gratitude from the women whom it serves. In the difficult context of Lebanon today, where so much seems dark with a collapsed economy, a raging pandemic, and political turmoil, the Light of Christ shines – despite all the forces which rage against it.
Joyfully,
Marilyn Borst
Associate Director of Partnership Development
Read more about the Refugee Appeal HERE.
Make a gift to the Refugee Appeal HERE or by sending a check to our office.
