Christian World Service asks for your continued prayers and support for people in the Middle East.  Violence is escalating and the suffering of the people intensifying, making our prayers for peace and the need for solidarity more urgent.  CWS’s partner, the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees is doing all it can to respond with food, medical care and support.    However, the need is very great and there are few signs of peace.

“We are going through very bad times [in Lebanon]. The latest in missiles and weapons of mass destruction are being used to kill and destroy our villages and agricultural fields in the south and now they are moving to the east as well….  But we are trying to think ahead of what might happen and how we can help ourselves and help others…  We need your prayers,” says Sylvia Haddad, executive director of DSPR Lebanon, known locally as the Joint Christian Committee.

In Lebanon, conflict has made it impossible to run DSPR’s educational programmes in the southern region of Tyre.  However, teams from the Dabyeh and Sabra Centres are running busy Summer Camp programmes for young refugees who live in the cramped refugee camps run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

There are 12 crowded UNRWA Refugee Camps in Lebanon with an estimated population of about 270,000 people.  Other Palestinians live outside the camps.

DSPR Lebanon operates Centres in a number of the camps, focusing on education and vocational training, and community development – especially for women.  It distributes cash support in emergency situations.  DSPR Jordan also runs a Summer Camp programme.

By choosing Fun Days for Children as your card or ecard through Christian World Service’s Gifted programme, your have contributed to this programme and are helping Palestinian children in these challenging times.  Thank you.

In June, staff and volunteers planned a rich programme for this year.  The children and young people play games, listen to stories, create art projects, learn traditional songs and go on one or two excursions.  Life is very difficult in Lebanon, but the team make sure the children and young people have time to laugh and draw strength from the community.

August 23, 2024