Meet Children of Lebanon
Years of war and turmoil. Yet “you find no Lebanese beggars on the streets of New York, London, or Paris today.” Only through education can we keep it that way….
Mission Statement
We are a community-based grassroots organization. Our sole business is to save children’s lives by keeping them off the streets and investing in their minds. In today’s informational and high-tech world, education is a must for survival. Education will transform a child into a productive adult. Our mission is to educate the needy and give them an equal chance to lead productive lives toward a conflict-free world.
Who Are We?
In August 2021, the State of Florida approved a change of our name from Peace for Lebanon Inc. to Children of Lebanon Inc.
More than thirty years ago, at the end of the 1975–89 war, Peace for Lebanon Inc. was created as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization registered in the State of Florida. It is the brainchild of a group of mothers in Miami who felt helpless to stop a civil/regional war. Twelve ladies from the various cities of South Florida make up the board and conduct fundraising and community events every year. Distribution of funds is completed in Lebanon every summer by one of the board members, assisted by a certified local social worker, in face-to-face meetings with the families and the schools.
What Are Our Outcomes?
In addition to tuition aid, schools have been equipped with computer labs and with iPad tablets preprogrammed for remote learning. As the economic situation continued to deteriorate, in 2021, schools and orphanages were provided with tons of heating fuel, and a meal plan was set in place to secure proper nutrition for the students, free of charge. One of the earlier projects that was completed was the renovation of the school of Bekakafra, the highest inhabited peak of the Middle East. (For more details, please see the school section.)
In Brief
The use of funds, whether received from generous donors or collected as a result of our activities, is maximized because the organization is solely managed by volunteers and employs no salaried staff, except for an accountant in the US and a social worker in Lebanon, who are paid a fee for services.
The possibility of sponsoring the education of a child from our pool of current beneficiaries is available to anyone interested.