Because the war in Syria deprived so many families of their livelihoods, MERATH has been supporting sustainable agriculture projects in Syria since 2016, that have helped over 900 families of farmers to get back to their fields, cultivate their land, increase their yield, meet their own food needs and plan for the future.
Just like a pinch of salt brings out the flavor in a delicious dish and a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel brings hope to the voyager, so is our ministry called to be in a flavorless and dark world.
Over the years and as the needs grew, we gradually saw BCYM morph into a multi-track community development ministry. While children and youth are still at the core of our program, we felt the need to invest deeper into the life of local churches we partner with whether through training, leadership, formation, discipleship, and community service.
Schools burst with importance: they impart knowledge, develop skills, build character, cultivate good citizenship, and nurture relationships across many levels.
In a bygone golden era, Lebanon enjoyed an illustrious educational realm, where private and public schools thrived and competed for excellence, and education was synonymous with identity, eminence, and sustenance.
n a tiny country where time is inconsequential and not valued; where time has stopped, or as some claim, gone back to a more primitive era, and where people are grappling with hundreds of pressing and threatening issues, two different time zones emerge based not on geographical considerations but on religious ones!
In March,1956, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook the Lebanese mountainous Chouf area, destroying thousands of homes, and killing 136 people, and its impact became an enduring historical milestone throughout the sixties and seventies.
or Jesus so loved the world that he came to fulfill our need for salvation. Every Christmas season, we commemorate this message by spreading the good news of salvation among children.
On a bright Saturday in December, children from 15 different nations gathered in a small room in Beirut for a Christmas party. Jingle bells in Arabic played in the background and the children showed up in their very best – dresses, bows, and bright colors.
Lebanon’s economic crisis —considered by the World
Bank as one of the worst in the world in the past 150
years — left no aspect of society untouched. Below is a
quick snapshot of how different crises combined to reach
the current state of instability.