Thank you to all our volunteers!
The past two months have seen 18 international volunteers arrive at our first Peace Centre in Bkarzla, Lebanon and fill it with life. They came to bring relief and reconciliation to the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees stranded in the North of Lebanon alone. They came from the most diverse origins all over the world: from Mexico to India, but also Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, the UK and the US… and of course from Lebanon. You can read at our special volunteers blog more about their personal experience.
Thanks to their outstanding commitment and passion, four weeks of intensive language classes took place, assisting 60 Syrian and Lebanese children, 47 of whom successfully completed their class. A day-care was established to give children under the age of 10 a chance to play, sing dance and draw in a safe and peaceful environment, together with other children from different communities. We held weekly cross-country games, where up to 80 children participated each week in swimming in the river, hiking in the mountains and various games. Our volunteers also participated in our outreach activities, meeting local refugees in the various camps that surround our Peace Centre and hearing their stories, building thus positive relationships with them that will set the foundation for our future work in the area.
Two of our volunteers, Sanaa and Azraa, fundraised before arriving to the Peace Centre and collected supplies that have helped stock a dispensary that assists Syrian refugees with their medical needs. Another volunteer, Alice, brought winter clothes as well as personal supplies for the women in the camps. We are very grateful for all of the hard work all of our volunteers have put in, both here and at home! We were also tremendously supported by a group of committed local Lebanese volunteers, without whom none of our activities could have been successful. Whether they translated, conducted games and songs, or organised 80 children for our cross-country games, they were outstanding, dedicated and cheerful. We are hoping that this group of volunteers will continue to grow and will become a cornerstone of R&R’s work on the ground.
One focal point of our organization is solidarity with those we work with; we strive to build relationships with them and provide a safe space for different faiths and communities to come together peacefully, so that we may prevent conflict between them in the future. The diverse background of our volunteers, whether they be Sunni, Shiite, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or Atheist, highlights that we are supporting solidarity on many levels: between different Syrian groups, between Syrians and Lebanese, and even between our own volunteers. We are also showing Syrians that people from all over the world, of all confessions, stand with them in solidarity.
As of today, the special summer programme is over and the Peace Centre is being prepared for our regular activities. Four international volunteers will permanently stay, but most of the staff will be paid local teachers as from now. The sleeping rooms of the volunteering summer crowd will be transformed into supplementary course and office space. The new programmes will include intensive language courses, both at our Peace Centre and in its surroundings, homework and school support classes as well as conversation clubs. We will also continue our outreach work and expect to have our Psychosocial Programme Line running soon. Pleace click here If you would like to apply to join us at the Peace Centre as a volunteer language teacher!