Blessed School — Update
Lebanon
By Mr. Toni Haddad, Executive Director of the Lebanese Evangelical Society which oversees the ministry of Home of Hope
Founded by British missionaries in 1868 as the first school for the blind in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region, the Lebanese Evangelical Society decided to expand Blessed School’s mission to receive students with special needs including autism and Down syndrome. Blessed School spreads the Word of God not only to the Lebanese but also to people of many other nationalities who study there and learn and explore the God of Love during daily chapel services.
Thousands of students have passed through Blessed School. Located in Beirut, Blessed currently has 74 students from several different nationalities. The school’s mission is not only to educate them but give them a career and guide them toward God.
We envision a future with human rights for our students, those who are considered by our society as a burden. We see them as an added value to our communities.
We have many success stories, and we know that our students are doing well when they leave school, many with jobs including caregivers at nurseries, data entry staff in banks, librarians, restaurant workers, etc. We also have a band, and every year we perform for several events. The media covers the events, highlighting the powerful and bright presence of our students. We have a carpentry workshop, as well, where students create wonderful art and mosaic crafts that they enjoy and that we sell for them. We teach them how to earn money for their future and how to use it.
The cataclysmic explosion in the port of Beirut in 2021 destroyed the school. It was only with the help of our partners from abroad, especially The Outreach Foundation, that we were able to repair the school and receive our students again.
When we talk about love — God’s Love — we look directly into the eyes of our special needs students at Blessed School, and here Love lives!
Grateful to God that you are with us on the journey,
Toni Haddad
Read more about the Blessed School HERE.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the mission and ministry of Blessed School. All gifts of any size are welcomed to help set up new workshops for skills development and to provide scholarships for students. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.