ACT International Brings Healing to Lebanon

Residents in the villages of Lebanon left shattered by the traumatic Israeli-Hezbollah conflict earlier this year can look forward to a brighter future as Christian organisations continue to help rebuild their communities.

Thanks to Action by Churches (ACT) International member, the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), children at the Souane Elementary School have been able to return to the classroom. The school was shut for 20 days because it was "very badly damaged" in the fighting, according to Farid Hamra, a construction specialist for IOCC.

All the windows were broken and the school suffered shrapnel damage but could be reopened again with the help of the IOCC-ACT partnership and US$13,000 in repairs, which included electrical and sanitary work, painting and aluminium maintenance.

"Most of the schools were hit directly," said Hamra, who added that the average budget allocated for the reconstruction of each school is US$20,000.

IOCC-ACT is restoring 23 schools including the Souane school with funding from the US government. The partnership is also supplying 2,900 vulnerable families with non-food relief items and contributing to sanitation projects in 30 villages.

Other Christian organisations working to restore communities in Lebanon include the Middle East Council of Churches' (MECC) Inter-Church Network for Development and Relief in Lebanon which is distributing food, blankets, hygiene kits, cooking utensils, heaters, and other relief supplies and repairing schools.

MECC is also re-establishing water supplies with the support of Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). Christian Aid, which will join these two ACT members in a forthcoming revision of the ACT appeal, will work with disabled people and provide livelihood assistance to small farmers, craftsmen and shop owners.