And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them, and blessed them. - Mark 10:16

One of the ways the Mission of Hope and Mercy serves as the hands and feet of Jesus is by taking care of the next generation. Christian children and the children of refugees in Lebanon are growing up in poverty and at a significant disadvantage because of their socio-economic status and also because of their Christian faith.

Our mission has the good fortune to be a blessing to others including the Saint Famille School. A Catholic school in the village of Akoura, a mountainous region of Lebanon, the school provides education to 220 children including Christians, Shia Muslims, and Syrian refugees. Two Sisters and 16 teachers run the school.

The school and its students face many obstacles to thrive. Poorly funded by the Lebanese government, the school struggles to survive on the meager $0.50 funding provided per student, and no funding for children of Syrian refugees of whom there are 105 in the school. The Syrian refugees are also at risk of being recruited by militia groups to turn on the Christians in the village. Saint Famille offers these children a place of relative safety.

We give thanks to our Lord for the faithfulness of the teachers at Saint Famille School. Even though they did not receive a salary for 6 months, they continued to teach and nurture these Children.

Our mission was called to come to the aid of the teachers and students of Saint Famille School by funding the salaries of all 16 teachers for 12 months at a cost of $24,000. We continue to seek ways to support the school financially so that these children can get an education and improve their life chances in the future.

A total of $24,000 of aid was provided to the school.