Peace Centres: Lebanon and Syria
Since 2013, we have brought Syrian and Lebanese children together through education, across religious and community divides. Today we continue in Lebanon and accompany returning families in Syria.
Peace Centre, Akkar - Lebanon
Figures reported by R&R. Each one links to its source.
One story
In May 2013, Hiyam was the first child our volunteers met. She had fled Qusayr in Syria, badly injured. Ten years later she had finished school, was studying at the Lebanese University and volunteered with us, raising health awareness in the camps of Akkar. Today she lives in Spain and sits on our board, and our second Peace Centre stands near her home town.
Watch her story (2023)Our work
Every family wants a good education for its children. Around that shared wish, communities that stopped trusting each other begin to work together. Over the years, the children become the ones who take responsibility.
Daily classes and homework help in Akkar since 2013, through war, economic collapse and return. Now also in Kadesh, Syria, where three of the seven teachers once volunteered with us as refugees.
Visit the Peace Centres
Our first Peace Centre was set up with a committee of religious leaders from every community in Akkar.
Learn about our approach
More than 500 young Muslims and Christians form the Ibrahimic Youth and run activities for younger children. In 2022 they wrote a Children's Rights Charter, endorsed by the religious leaders of Akkar.
Read the story behind the charterPeace centres
Our work in Lebanon continues. Since January 2026, Peace Centre Kadesh near Qusayr has helped children who returned home to Syria, led by Mohammed Talal Al-Muhbani, once a teacher in the refugee camps. Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, our co-founder, had asked us to send volunteers along the Orontes once the Assad regime fell. Kadesh lies on that river.
Akkar · North Lebanon
Since 2013 an open house near the Syrian border, where international volunteers live with local teachers.
Read more
Kadesh · Homs Governorate, Syria
Opened in January 2026 in Tell Nabi Mendo, near Qusayr, for families returning home.
Read moreOur Peace Centres lie on the border between Lebanon and Syria, about 3,100 km from Brussels.
Where we workEvidence
Our evaluation - 2024/25
Our youth leaders and outreach team surveyed the parents of 703 children. The report also names what we still need to improve, above all discipline in class. Our own survey; the national figure is from the UN Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (VASyR) 2025.
Read the reportSupport our work
One-off · Current appeal
Monthly · Patrons
The Peace Centres need at least €5,000 each month for their basic running costs, such as rent and the pay of our local teachers. This also covers the living costs of the international volunteers who live and work there. We want these basic costs to be met by private donations alone. We are looking for 500 people who give €10 every month; if you can give more, we reach this goal sooner. You can stop at any time.
As of
From the field
Follow our workWatch on YouTube Subscribe Read the volunteer blog: Why I’ll be back..
