Pioneers

At the end, it is necessary to pay a respectful tribute to the memory of Jesuit Father Nicolas Kluiters whose experience as a social worker continued until he passed away. He obtained his social work certificate in 1970 from the “Ecole Libanaise de Formation…

Due to the large number of disabled people in the Lebanese war, including fighters and civilians who were injured by shelling, sniping, and explosions, the “Beit Chabeb Center for war disabled” was established in early 1976. One of its essential goals was the…

The “juvenile delinquents” sector did not survive the horrors of war; hence the “Warwar Observation Center” was closed, as well as the “Rehabilitation Institute in Yarze” and the “Gemmayzeh home in Beirut”, which welcomed the juveniles as soon as they left the…

Working with marginalized groups, such as homeless children, those prone to deviation or delinquency, girls exposed to violence and exploitation, and other marginalized groups, constituted a major challenge during the war years. Mrs. Nathalie Chemaly, accepted the…

One of the experiences that is worth mentioning is that of Mrs. Wadad Gemayel Chehab at Deir El Salib, who challenged the risks and difficulties of maintaining the quality of social intervention with people suffering from psychiatric and mental illnesses, and drug…

Probably the social worker’s experience, Mrs. Takla Wakim, at “Terre des Hommes-Lausanne” who suffered with her family from displacement more than nine times during the Lebanese war, without being discouraged from working, was the greatest evidence of…

During the war years, the prevailing security situation did not prevent social workers from fulfilling their obligations despite the risks they were exposed to.  We mention here the active presence of Mrs. Wafa Soueid Kanaan, who supported the displaced families…

Another experience that deserves to be considered follows the displacement of the Damour people and their arrival by sea in small boats to Kaslik beaches. Many associations and individuals rushed to shelter and assist them, including the head of  Rabieh…

The issue of disability was one of the most prominent problems created by war, and one of its negative consequences was the suspension of work at many social welfare institutions for people with special needs or people with solid wills.  Subsequently, an appeal…

Many initiatives were done in the south of Lebanon, as all associations and social centers have been involved in relief work.  Perhaps, the experience of the “NGOs Platform of Saida” deserves to be considered, in 1980, after the Israeli invasion, and through the…

A new practice can be identified in some periods of the 1975 Lebanese war, which was the “car bombs” that exploded in residential neighborhoods, which, in addition to killing in its most horrible manifestation, displaced hundreds of families, left behind a mass of…

A new cycle of violence occurred inside residential neighborhoods in Beirut between 1989 and 1990. Several initiatives came to help the residents of these neighborhoods to cope with the situation, one example is the pioneering experience that was spontaneously and…

During 13 years of the 1975 war, Mrs. Amal Harb’s initiative in Karm El Zeitoun was a milestone that affected many aspects of life, besides relief work and sheltering displaced people from various Lebanese regions as a result of shelling nearby residential…

The SIDC, which was founded in 1987 by Elie Aaraj, played a significant role in Sin El Fil – Nabaa region during the Lebanese war in terms of organizing life in shelters and in the region as a whole, providing and organizing relief services, in addition to…

Another pioneering initiative was the experience of the “Institut de Rééducation Audio-Phonétique” “IRAP” founded in 1960. The administrator decided to engage in relief work at the beginning of the Lebanese war. As a result, this experience was launched in Biaqout, a…

There was a pioneering experience between 1980 and 1983 in Akkar district in the field of relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction work between the Middle East Council of Churches and ELFS-USJ, with the support of the Canadian Embassy. Health care, prevention, and…

At the beginning of the war, the Young Men Christian Association in Lebanon YMCA, which was established in 1890, turned to relief work, and it had an active contribution in this field.  Perhaps, the most valuable achievement of that period was the “Chronic…

One of the most important programs during the war was helping widowed mothers and their children within the family. In 1977, the French institution SALVE (Service d’aide au Liban pour veuves et enfants) sent an envoy to Lebanon to consider helping Lebanese orphans and…

During the 1975-1990 war, primary healthcare centers played a significant role in providing health care, social assistance, and relief services (Mrs. Neemat Kenaan, 1977), despite the diversity of their names (healthcare centers, social and healthcare centers,…

Between 1984 and 1988, there was a pioneering experience at the Lebanese Red Cross Center-Mreijeh by the social worker in charge who gathered around forty field volunteers from the local community, who left their parties and volunteered in the humanitarian relief…

Caritas Liban, whose first branch was established in the south in 1974, had a significant role in relief work across Lebanon. The large number of social workers who worked at Caritas, in collaboration with volunteers and other workers, played a crucial role in…

The experience of the “Mouvement Social ” preceded the Lebanese war, as it was founded in 1957, yet it responded to the call of relief work at the beginning of the war through the social workers and volunteers who worked there and adhered to its…

The idea of “Restos du Coeur” was born at one social worker’s home, Mrs. Antoinette Kazan, at the beginning of the 1975 war, when many children who lost their families during the war were welcomed at the dinner table(X). After the death of this social worker’s mother,…

In 1978, the Karantina neighborhood, where families, known as “Arab Al-Maslakh”, Kurdish families, and other poor and marginalized groups were living, was displaced. It was well known that there has been a “Centre de Protection Maternelle et Infantile” at Karantina…