Lebanon

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
Matthew 25:40

It is not in the news much these days, but it is a significant part of the ministry we do, especially in places like Jordan, Lebanon, and South Sudan. And we do it with your help, my friends. There are currently more than 80 million displaced people around the world – that means one out of every 97 people – and more than 40% are children. This desperate situation is compounded by the pandemic as well as by the economic disasters of host countries, such as is in Lebanon.

Yet it is in Lebanon where hope and healing are being shared through the ministry of OLD (Our Lady Dispensary, a Middle East Council of Churches site). A longtime partner of Outreach under the gentle, caring, professional guidance of social worker Grace Boustani, OLD operates out of a modest flat in a lower class, mostly Christian, suburb of Beirut. It primarily serves Syrian Muslim and Iraqi Christian refugees, but it does not turn away the “local poor” of the surrounding community which serves as the host to those who have sought refuge here.

OLD provides food vouchers, medications and vaccinations, mental health and trauma counseling to over 1,400 Iraqi, Syrian and vulnerable Lebanese beneficiaries. But more than that, they provide a listening ear and a caring presence to hundreds of people who too often feel invisible or without hope. Grace recently shared some stories of the “least of these” while thanking us for the recent grant which allowed for a winter distribution:

Aisha
Aisha is a 38-year-old divorced woman from Aleppo who brought her four children to Lebanon to escape increasing violence and extremist activity. She has three boys and one daughter. The eldest boy is only 19 but is the family’s sole provider, through small, odd jobs. The daughter, Fatmi, is six, disabled, and requires constant care.

Living with seven other people in a single-room apartment during a pandemic creates immense stress. As no school will take Fatmi’s case, Aisha must be Fatmi’s primary caregiver. Her middle son, Mohammad, is developing behavior problems and no longer attends school because he is bullied. On top of all this, Aisha experiences constant back pain. She became overwhelmed and admitted that she had reached the point where she was sometimes tempted to harm herself. The breaking point was realizing that she was verbally abusing her children. Filled with regret, she knew she needed help.

After our social worker accepted her case, Aisha attended a special session with the nurse on stress management. She was followed by the social worker and joined many counseling sessions where she was able to express her emotions, her fear, and her anger. These individual sessions provided her with the safe space that she needed in order to talk honestly to someone she could trust without any judgment. Later, Aisha was referred to classes to teach her skills to manage her stress and to choose different ways of interacting with her children. She is beginning to regain her focus through the wood painting classes, which help her practice concentration. Her children are also getting help. “Each time I come to OLD, I leave feeling happy,” remarks Aisha. “I had not felt that way in a long time. I feel like I am able to continue my life.”

Youssef
Youssef is a 70-year-old Lebanese man who lives with his wife and three sons. The family’s condition is very difficult because one of the sons is paralyzed and needs constant care and another son suffers from epilepsy. Youssef’s youngest son was the only provider for the family, but he lost his job due to the bad economic situation. Additionally, their house was damaged by the Beirut blast in 2020, which made their situation harder. Youssef has been an OLD beneficiary since 2004 and is always thankful for The Outreach Foundation’s support, especially for the food vouchers that enable them to buy specific things they need for their special needs kids that they can’t afford most of the time.

Vivianne
Viviane is a 57-year-old Iraqi woman who came to Lebanon six years ago. Vivian lives with her elderly parents and her handicapped sister for whom she cares. When she was diagnosed with cervical cancer which required both surgery and chemotherapy, she came to OLD in despair because her family had no resources for the medical procedures which would save her life. OLD is helping with the costs, because of a recent gift from The Outreach Foundation. Vivianne is now being monitored by the social worker and the nurse.

This past October, a team from Outreach, on their way to Syria, stopped over in Lebanon and brought many over-the-counter medications for OLD’s tiny pharmacy, as these have become prohibitively expensive since the local currency has plunged in value while prices have risen. We remain deeply committed to supporting the ministry of this partner which shines the Light of Christ in many dark and desperate places. In so doing, we, together, seek to honor Christ and His love for “the least of these.”

In our only Hope for the new year,

Marilyn Borst
Associate Director for Partnership Development

Read more about Together for the Family HERE.

THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the Refugee Appeal. All gifts of any size are welcomed. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.

Refugee Appeal - January 2022 Update

Lebanon