A lady affected by the Beirut Blast, said in confused and bittersweet tears while receiving a box of aid offered by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) “I did not expect to receive cleaning products that would last me for 3 to 4 months, especially that I was not capable of, buying them myself”. In fact, since the 4th of August, this lady’s tears have been burning. She described the pain and despair that are dominating Beirut's people who, without individual initiatives and assistance of churches and civil societies, would have been neither helped nor supported in these tragic and brutal circumstances.

Dr. Michel Abs, the MECC Secretary General started his official visits to the council’s Presidents to thank them for their confidence in electing him as Secretary General for four years. Therefore, his first visit was to His Beatitude Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rahi at the Patriarchate headquarters in Bkerke. He was accompanied by Fr. Gabriel Hachem, the Associate Secretary General and director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department, Mrs. Huguette Salameh, director of the Communication and Public Relations Department, and Ms. Nina Hallak, coordinator of the Diakonia Department in Beirut.

In the framework of the last two appeals launched by the Middle East Council of Churches consequently to the Beirut Blast, the Diakonia department’s team provided a new batch of relief supplies to presidents in the member church to be distributed to the most vulnerable and damaged families in the Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox, Evangelical and Catholic Churches.

MECC implemented a training for 45 teachers and institute directors in Damascus, entitled “child protection”. This training aims to improve the teachers’ capacities to deal with children through better understanding of their emotions and thoughts depending on their age. In addition to raising awareness to wrong and common behavior with kids.

Con el fin de difundir la educación para la salud entre el mayor número posible de miembros de la sociedad, el Consejo de Iglesias de Oriente Medio (MECC) organizó una jornada de formación sobre concienciación sanitaria, en la que participaron veinte mujeres en Damasco y Damasco Rural. Durante los seis días de formación, los participantes conocieron las enfermedades más virales de la sociedad, sus causas, tratamiento y precauciones a tomar. Además de aprender cómo medir la presión arterial y un entrenamiento básico en primeros auxilios. Se dedicaron dos días más al apoyo psicológico, durante el cual las damas aprendieron sobre las habilidades de comunicación efectiva, el discernimiento, el pensamiento positivo, el manejo de los desafíos y el establecimiento de una meta y un plan para lograrlo.

With the aim of spreading health education among the largest possible number of society members, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) organized a training session about health awareness, in which twenty women participated in Damascus and Rural Damascus. During the six days training, the participants learned about the most viral diseases in society, their causes, treatment and precautions to take. In addition to learning the right ways to measure blood pressure and basic first aid training. An extra two days were dedicated to psychological support; During which the ladies learned more about effective communication skills, discernment, positive thinking, dealing with challenges and setting a goal, and a plan to achieve it.

A meeting was held today at the headquarters of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in the presence of the MECC team with the Honorary Secretary General, Dr. Souraya Bechealany and the Tearfund committee director of Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen Karen Soerensen along with the regional director of the Middle East, Martin Leacm. The meeting took place to finalize the details and to set a starting date for an Emergency Humanitarian project between both partners.

With the aim of empowering poor and affected families and enhancing their ability to participate in the economic life, MECC supported the workers in the sector of producing, processing and retailing of dairy products in 17 different areas in Dara’a Governorate. MECC distributed fortified fodder to 500 cow breeders and established 4 mobile veterinary mobile clinics that provide all necessary medical services to livestock farmers including cows’ medications, vaccinations, calving, and artificial insemination.

Télé Lumière - Noursat dedicated a weekly segment for the Middle East Council of Churches every Thursday in "AL Nour Maana" show, to discuss the latest updates regarding the MECC appeal as well its relief and development projects in Beirut.

MECC continues its vocational trainings aiming to support young people and to help them integrate in the labor market. Two courses were organized in Rural Damascus: men hairdressing and sewing. 15 men participated in the men hairdressing course while 10 women enrolled in the sewing training. The participants were aged between 18 and 30 years old.

Under the framework of securing the basic needs of the migrant and affected families in Syria, the MECC team distributed 730 food rations and 1645 hygiene kit to 2375 vulnerable families in Jaramana city, Rural Damascus.

A month after the catastrophic blast that hit the Beirut port, the Diakonia Department of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues its disaster relief work on the field, within the framework of the appeal launched by the Council to help all those affected and injured. Therefore, the department launched a new partnership with Tearfund, a relief and humanitarian agency located in London, to target the most vulnerable people among those affected by the blast, with unrestricted cash assistance.

Within the framework of the MECC appeal to provide relief for the devastated Beirut and its afflicted people, because of the 4 August blast, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria hastened to respond to the appeal by offering a shipment of aid included 26 tons of food products, medicines and medical supplies. Following up the process of distributing it to beneficiaries, the MECC Diakonia Department’s team and a group of youth volunteers sorted the offered products and medical supplies, divided and packed them.

Télé Lumière - Noursat dedicated a weekly segment for the Middle East Council of Churches every Thursday in "AL Nour Maana" show, to discuss the latest updates regarding the MECC appeal as well its relief and development projects in Beirut.

MECC organized a crochet training for 19 women aged between 18 to 45 from Rural Damascus. The trainees learned the basic principles of crocheting and the way to use one needle to crochet squares and gather them to form different shapes, such as: table covers, bed covers, blankets, shawls and other cloths or crafts that can be knitted with crochet.

“O God, who will roll away the stone from the hearts of wounded Beirut and its affected citizens”

On August 4, at around 6:00pm, a warehouse at the Beirut Port containing large quantities of ammonium nitrate exploded. After an initial explosion, a subsequent blast caused widespread damage, with reports of damage more than 20 km from the port area. Hundreds of buildings including grain silos storing around 85 percent of the country’s grain, and numerous residential places have also been damaged or completely destroyed.

In its endeavor to support those most in need, MECC provided a variety of kits to the students of three schools in Jairoud, Muadamiyat al-Qalamoun and Al Bayad in Rural Damascus after completing the rehabilitation of the WASH facilities in those schools which will ensure a healthy and safe environment for students. The distribution included hygiene kits, winter clothing and shoes in addition to school bags and stationery. It was organized in the schools while respecting all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The "Restoration Fund for rehabilitation of faith-based social services & religious infrastructure damaged during the crisis in Syria" has been launched!

Despite the global suffering and the imminent danger caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the virus did not hinder the work of the Steering Committee of the "Restoration Fund for rehabilitation of faith-based social services & religious infrastructure damaged during the crisis in Syria". In fact, the committee held an online meeting that gathered the representatives of the participating churches, representatives of Kerk in Actie (KiA) – Netherlands, which is the donor of the program, and senior officials from the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

Amid the economic, social and health crises, that have been exacerbated by the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the team of Our Lady Dispensary (OLD), which is affiliated to the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and located in Sabtiyeh - Lebanon, helped 150 deprived Lebanese families including elderly members. The team distributed vouchers amounting to 150,000 Lebanese Liras each.

was launched on the practical level despite the Coronavirus Pandemic

The Steering Committee of the "Restoration Fund for rehabilitation of faith-based social services & religious infrastructure damaged during the crisis in Syria" held an online meeting that gathered the representatives of the participating churches, representatives of Kerk in Actie (KiA) – Netherlands, which is the donor of the program, and senior officials from the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).