Driven by their belief that a school is more than just a building—it's a beacon for the future and a gateway to a better tomorrow—the Service and Relief Department—Diakonia, at the Middle East Council of Churches—is dedicated to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for students. This commitment has led to the renovation and rehabilitation of numerous schools across Syrian governorates.

In Hama Governorate, the council’s team successfully rehabilitated three public elementary schools: Jihad Al-Masri School, Fayez Zamzam School, and Abdul Razak Hassoun School, benefiting 1841 students and staff members.

The renovation included upgrading sanitary facilities and the infrastructure of the sewage system, alongside equipping them with necessary fixtures. The team also repaired the drinking water network, installed faucets and toilets, replaced doors, windows, tiles, and ceramics, and installed water pumps and tanks.

Through its Service and Relief Department, Diakonia, the Middle East Council of Churches continues its efforts to strengthen social and economic stability within local communities. The goal is to provide individuals with the necessary support to improve their living standards in response to current economic challenges.

Operating through its office in Syria, the Diakonia Department has supported many small projects in the Latakia and Tartus governorates via the Livelihood Support Program. This initiative aims to empower project owners and equip them with essential tools for success and sustainability.

A total of 72 projects were supported, spanning various fields. These included a greenhouse, a motorcycle repair workshop, an event decoration center, a mosaic art workshop, a car wash, a candle-making workshop, a local restaurant, and dairy and cheese production. Additionally, there were other small projects addressing local community needs and providing a source of income for their owners.

As part of empowering children and developing their skills, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Syria’s Office, implemented many Psychosocial Support (PSS) activities for 375 boys and girls, in Damascus, Jarmana, Jdaydeit Artouz, Erbeen, and Dara’a. Hence, the video sheds light on these activities, which included life skills sessions, arts, theater, and collaborative games.

In light of the worsening regional conflicts and their increasing intensity, the war in Lebanon was nothing but a fatal blow for the people of the country, who are facing death, terror, displacement and destruction on a daily basis. The scene is tragic: many families are left without a safe roof to protect them, and there is complete destruction in various Lebanese regions...

Amidst all this suffering, Lebanon is recording an unprecedented rise in the number of internally displaced people, especially in shelter centers where the humanitarian need has become dire and urgent. Therefore, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) hastened to strengthen its field response to heal the wounds of the neediest and most affected people by the security situation, as well as to support them on various material, moral and psychological levels, in order to help them restore their decent means of living.

In order to ensure a healthy environment for school students, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Syria’s Office, in partnership with the organization Plan International, implemented several rehabilitation works in many schools in Hama Governorate, which contributed to motivating students to attend school and persevere in their courses.

In this context, the video presents additional details about this project.

A team from ACT Alliance organization visited Aleppo, on 18 September 2024, accompanied by a team from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in order to review the projects being implemented by the Council there. These projects aim to alleviate the economic hardships resulting from years of conflict and instability. 

Both teams met at the MECC Office in Aleppo, where they were briefed on the projects implemented by the Council to support those affected by the earthquake over the past year. The briefing also covered current programs, including the restoration of clinics, schools, and Church and social facilities damaged by the crisis in Syria, as well as cash assistance programs for the elderly, among other initiatives.  

The meeting included discussions about the deteriorating economic situation in Syria, particularly in Aleppo, and the challenges that the community faces amid rising living costs and unemployment. In addition, the importance of the role played by humanitarian organizations in general, and MECC in particular, in securing the community's needs was emphasized, along with the vital partnership between ACT Alliance and MECC in supporting the most vulnerable groups and addressing their basic needs. 

The Diakonia and Social Service Diakonia, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), continues to support education and alleviate the financial burdens on families through organizing remedial classes for 9th-grade students in the areas of Erbin, Jaramana, and Sahnaya in rural Damascus, which targeted 410 students.   

The course lasted for about two and a half months, during which students received essential information for the core subjects in the curriculum. The aim was to improve the academic level of students to enable them to pass the 9th-grade official exams successfully. 

Lebanon is in pain... a sentence that may perfectly express what this wounded country is witnessing. A country that has been torn by conflicts and crises for several decades. In the recent days, Lebanon is witnessing a new and violent wave of dangerous security incidents which have turned into comprehensive aggression against various Lebanese regions. The scene is tragic, even catastrophic, and expresses the pain of people who have not yet recovered from their old wounds...

In fact, Lebanon is currently recording the martyrdom of thousands of citizens, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands from all its regions, especially from its South and the Bekaa to other regions due to concerns for their lives being threatened. The scenario is repeated daily amidst deteriorating humanitarian conditions, embodied by the screams of grieving mothers who are searching for a glimmer of hope from under the rubble of their destroyed homes, and the crying of children who have lost their childhood and their simplest dreams.

In the wake of the accelerating and worsening security events in Lebanon, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) issued a statement in which it strongly condemns the killing of innocent people, children, women, the elderly, and other civilians, and deplores the attacks carried out by aggressor forces on densely populated areas that have led to the death of thousands of people and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of citizens from their areas. MECC said that these crimes indicate the forces of aggression's disregard for the principles of international law, the rules of the Geneva Conventions, and all conventions governing armed conflicts.

How Do the Diakonia Department’s Volunteers in Syria Describe Their Experiences in Humanitarian Work?

On the occasion of the Fiftieth Year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), this video presents some interventions from volunteers in the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department in Syria, during which they presented their experiences and expertise in humanitarian work, expressing the joy of giving and emphasizing the MECC slogan in serving with dignity.

During these dire circumstances that the region is passing through as a result of conflicts and crises that burden its people, job opportunities are becoming increasingly limited, especially when it comes to Syrian refugees. As heads of households are either unable to secure a livelihood or are depending on low-paying jobs that disallow them from making ends meet, refugee families are increasingly being subjected to high levels of poverty. To make matters worse, humanitarian aid is continuously declining forcing them to adopt negative coping strategies to survive.

For this reason, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s office, launched a program to empower Syrian refugee women and enhance their capabilities, through implementing soft skills sessions that would teach them new skills enabling them to better support their families. Hence, by developing skills that allow them to make decorative and useful handcrafts, they can sell these products to earn some money. The interesting matter is that these products can be put together using materials that are either easy to find or that are recyclables.

 The Diakonia and Social Service Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Syria’s Office, continues raising awareness among pregnant and lactating women about the importance of breastfeeding and the correct way to care for infants.

This is being done through holding health and Psychosocial sessions for pregnant and lactating mothers in three governorates: Damascus and its countryside, Aleppo, and Dara’a.

These sessions shed light on all aspects related to breastfeeding, the difficulties mothers face with breastfeeding, and clarification of some misconceptions. They also addressed complementary feeding for infants, maternal nutrition, and dietary practices when the child is ill.

In light of conflicts and turmoil that the Middle East is witnessing, all walks of life are being influenced, as well as children are being affected the most. Therefore, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through its various programs, continues to accompany and support children in order to help them overcome their daily challenges.

For this reason, the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, held a series of sessions aiming to improve the wellbeing and mental health of children, who had to deal with traumatic experiences. By teaching them how to manage their emotions effectively, psychologists help children acquire emotional regulation skills.

This is done by applying a structured program which makes use of various mental health topics and recreational activities which teaches them how to identify different emotions, understand what triggers them, understand different perspectives, and develop empathy towards others.

With the rise of unemployment and inflation rates, as well as the increase in the prices of basic needs, the percentage of families living below the poverty line and relying primarily on humanitarian aid has increased. Many young people find themselves unable to build a stable future under these harsh conditions.

In response to these challenges, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues to support the most vulnerable people by organizing vocational training courses that help participants enter the job market. In addition, MECC provided them with vocational kits as well as skills through business start-up courses, enabling them to establish small businesses that can become sources of income, rather than spending months or even years searching for suitable job opportunities.

In this context, the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Syria’s Office, conducted a vocational training course on growing oyster mushrooms and another course on distilling medicinal herbs and flowers. A total of 30 participants, aged between 25 and 55, benefited from these courses.

MECC Supports the Project of St. Francis of Assisi School and Laverna Association

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon Office, launched a business development program through supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the Lebanese Akkar region, in order to help them secure their long-term sustainability, especially amidst the worsening difficult living, social and economic conditions in the country.

In the video, you can find an overview about the St. Francis of Assisi School and the Laverna Association in Menjez - Akkar, in addition to a highlight on the support of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for their project, which has witnessed a new development.

Within the training “Disaster Risk Management and Churches Response,” which was implemented by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, in partnership with the Tearfund Organization, participants from various Church families in Lebanon and the Middle East, were able to acquire new skills and deeper knowledge within the framework of helping the Church responding to crises and disasters.

In the video, some of the participants in this training, which was held between 6 and 9 June 2024, in Bethania - Harissa, Lebanon, stress the importance of its sessions and the necessity of cooperation and working together in order to support the neediest people and build a better future.

“Disaster Risk Management and Churches Response”

“Disaster Risk Management and Churches Response” is the title of the training organized by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, in partnership with the Tear Fund organization, aiming at of developing the capabilities of participants working in the Church field, in order to support them in responding in times of crises. It also aimed at providing the attendees with skills that will enable them in turn to train members of their congregations, so they can all help the Church heal the wounds of the most affected people in times of disasters, on various humanitarian, social, health and psychological levels.

Hence, the video sheds light on the objectives of this training, which was held between 6 and 9 June 2024, in Bethania, Harissa - Lebanon.

Of the “Disaster Risk Management and Churches Response” Training

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, in partnership with the TearFund organization, held a training entitled “Disaster Risk Management and Churches Response”, between 6 and 9 June 2024, in Bethania, Harissa - Lebanon. Participants were an ecumenical group of clergy and lay people from various Church Families in Lebanon and Middle Eastern countries.

In this context, the video presents an overview of this training and its opening session.

His Eminence Bishop Ephraim Maalouli Stresses the Importance of the MECC Support

Following the 6 February 2023 Earthquake

More than a year has passed since the earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant on 6 February 2023. Hence, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues its field relief work in Syria in order to heal the wounds of the affected people and seek to rehabilitate the Churches and their affiliated institutions to help them restore their usual activity.

In the video, His Eminence Bishop Ephraim Maalouli, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, Alexandretta and Dependencies, recalls the phase in which the earthquake occurred and the response of the Saint Elias Theater in Aleppo Governorate to the disaster, describing the support of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and its work in bringing life back to the Theater. As well as, Marine Hanoush, Member of the Greek Orthodox Scout in Aleppo, confirms that MECC contributed in resuming the youth activities at the Saint Elias Theater.

New Achievements for Hela Pastry with the Aid of MECC

In light of the worsening economic crises in Lebanon, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, launched a business development program in the Lebanese Akkar region with the aim of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and helping them enhance their sustainability and work mechanism.

Hence, the video presents the story of Mrs. Hela, the owner of a pastry and factory in the Beino-Akkar region, who sought to develop her project, as she was able, through the MECC program, to work on increasing her production and thus opening a larger store.

Developing Mr. Tony Makhoul’s Cow Farm with the Support of MECC

With the deterioration of difficult living conditions in Lebanon, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) seeks to support the Lebanese people in facing their daily challenges at various social and humanitarian levels. Hence, within the framework of the support provided by the Middle East Council of Churches in various Lebanese regions, the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, launched a business development program through supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Akkar region, in order to help the owners of these businesses secure their long-term sustainability.

In the video, Mr. Tony Makhoul, owner of a cow farm in Akkar, and his son Tony, describe the mechanism of the farm’s work, in addition to the contribution of the Middle East Council of Churches program in developing this project and thus increasing the rate of production.