You want to help Syrian refugees in need? You have an interest in interfaith encounters? You have experience with teaching kids sports, arts, languages or other? Come and join us this summer in Lebanon as one of our first international volunteers! We are seeking dedicated men and women who are motivated to gain a lifetime experience with helping refugees in the field.

A few days ago, we have signed the rental agreement for our first Peace Centre in the North of Lebanon, where Syrian refugees and Lebanese hosts in need can find relief and reconciliation. As the opening is coinciding with the holy month of Ramdan, when Muslims are supposed to fast and refrain from all worldly activities, we decided to start our activities in the Centre with a special summer programme responding to the urgent need for interfaith solidarity with those suffering from the Syrian crisis.

We signed today the rental agreement for our first Peace Centre in the North of Lebanon as from 1 July 2013. The house is situated in the beautiful small village of Bkarzla in the Akkar district, only 12 km from the Lebanese border with Syria. More than 200,000 refugees have become stranded in this district alone, often in poorest conditions.

The house has a surface of about 700 m² and a huge garden. It is situated in a green and secure environment to allow beneficiaries to breathe. It is fully equipped, including 3 huge multi-purpose rooms and 6 bed rooms. The bed rooms will be transformed into offices and further class or meeting rooms over the coming weeks. But over the summer, they will accommodate our first international volunteers. We will use the opportunity of the holy month of Ramadan to start activities gradually.

Starting our operations for relief and reconciliation amongst both Syrian refugees and Lebanese hosts in the Akkar district of Northern Lebanon, our field team is witnessing the influx of survivors from the combat area of Qusayr (Syria).

The stories we hear are horrifying. One survivor said he had buried 110 corpses with his own hands on the way between Qusayr and Lebanon. Entire families had to walk for up to 10 days in the mountains, without food, water or any other supplies. Once they arrive in Arsal, many of the survivors head on to other regions of Lebanon to find a safe place. Those in dire need of medical treatment are received by the Lebanese Red Cross and distributed to hospitals in different regions of Lebanon.

But this is merely the beginning of another torture. Despite the incredible efforts many Lebanese make for accommodating Syrian refugees, we have received alarming reports about the refusal of emergency aid. Most of Lebanese hospitals are private institutions and receive wounded refugees only against cash. No money, no treatment! Some hospitals are reported to have doubled prices for Syrian refugees.

Our brand-new Fundraising Brochure is available, resuming the text of our campaign. Please download the PDF file in the document section of our website and please send it per email to all your family and to your friends! A French and a German version will also be available very soon. Please contact us if you want to receive a copy in high-definition to be printed out!

We couldn't believe our eyes. Last Thursday, our team was about to take the next step in our fundraising campaign. The new brochure was ready to be sent. And then: blackout! All of the sudden, our campaign site on Indiegogo went dark. All donors who had contributed several thousands US$ until then, received an automatic email saying they had been reimbursed "either at your request or at the request of the campaign administrator". I received such a mail as well for my personal donation. Being myself the campaign administrator, I was quite astonished.