The Service and Relief Department- Diakonia, at the Middle East Council of Churches, Syria’s office, launched a WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) campaign in Dara’a city to support the local community. This activity was implemented within the Cash for Work Program.

The two-month campaign contributes to providing temporary job opportunities for 100 workers including women and persons with disabilities.

MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs in an Interview About the Sayfo Massacres on Suboro TV

On the 107th Commemoration of the Syriac Genocide or the "Sayfo Massacre", the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs was the guest of “Each Day By Day" program broadcasted on Suboro TV, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. The episode was under the slogan of "Sayfo 1915 We Forgive but Never Forget”, during which Dr. Abs talked about the Sayfo massacres, considered from the most brutal massacres in the history of the Church.

Están sentados en su silla, sosteniendo su bastón, con los ojos fijos en el horizonte, mirándolo con una mirada de reproche y anticipación.

Esperan a un hijo, a un nieto, a un hermano o a alguien que pregunte por ellos, por su estado y su destino.

Recuerdan los días pasados y reflexionan sobre el sufrimiento que les hicieron soportar y las lecciones que les enseñaron. A veces se alegran y a veces se entristecen.

«La vejez es una travesía», así reza el dicho popular en el Líbano. Y como dice el refrán francés: «Si la juventud supiera, si la vejez pudiera».

Las canas de sus cabellos y su piel arrugada te hablan del tiempo que han soportado. Su mirada errática te dice algo sobre su sufrimiento.

Son el grupo más vulnerable de la sociedad, ya que no tienen ni el poder ni la promesa de recuperar la gloria pasada. Sólo recurren a los recuerdos.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches you can find the message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which is entitled this week “The Elderly”.

The issue also presents an interview with Dr. Abs on “Kadaya Sakhina” program (which means “Hot Issues”) broadcasted on Al Keraza Egyptian TV channel, highlighting the activities of the MECC 12th General Assembly, the most important decisions taken in light of its final statement, and the MECC future vision.

They sit on their chair, holding their cane, with their eyes fixed on the horizon, looking at it with a look of reproach and anticipation.

They are waiting for a son, a grandson, a brother, or someone who will ask about them, about their condition and their fate.

They recall days gone by and reflect on the suffering they made them endure and the lessons they taught them. Sometimes they are happy and sometimes sad.

"Old age is a crossing", thus goes the popular saying in Lebanon. And as the French saying goes, “If the youth knew, and if old age is able.”

The graying of their hair and their wrinkled skin tell you of the time that they have endured. Their erratic gaze tells you something about their suffering.

They are the most vulnerable group in society, as they have neither power nor promise of restoring past glory. They just resort to memories.

During the month of May 2022, the MECC, as part of its effort to provide Humanitarian relief to victims of protracted crises, held several activities at Our Lady Dispensary in Sabtieh, Sad El Bouchrieh. Activities took on themes related to: soft skills, psycho social support, Gender Based Violence, and health awareness. The objective of such endeavors is to allow people to get back on their feet, after several traumas had shaped their lives.

The Dream of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II Chronicles the Ecclesiastical Heritage

"The library was a dream that has been on my mind for a long time. Today libraries are fund in churches and monasteries. But we were thinking of an integrated central institution through which we could show the Coptic Church’s care in education and scientific research. We Thank God for giving us this great blessing. What was just a dream has now become a reality!”

The dream of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, according to his words, has come true and has become a great cultural and intellectual reality in an oasis of one of the holiest lands that the Holy Family has passed through, here in Wadi El Natrun in Egypt.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Dr. Michel Abs was, on Monday, June 13, 2022, the guest of the Egyptian Al-Keraza channel, in the program "Hot Issues" prepared and presented by the Co-Secretary-General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Rev. Rifaat Fikry.

During the program, Dr. Abs highlighted the activities of the MECC 12th General Assembly, which was hosted by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, between 16 and 20 May 2022, at the Logos Papal Center in Wadi El Natrun in Egypt.

Department of Diakonia and Ecumenical Relief

Since its establishment, the Middle East Council of Churches has sought to protect the neediest and most vulnerable groups, preserving their rights and dignity through its various humanitarian programs that include relief and development, justice, peace, human rights and advocacy, migrants and refugees. The following video, entitled “A Story of Success”, emphasizes the MECC relief work through the Diakonia Department and the Ecumenical Relief Program, and the most prominent humanitarian programs and activities which are being implemented by the Department in various countries of the Middle East, which is suffering under the weight of social, economic, health and security crises...

El 12 de junio es el «Día contra el Trabajo Infantil». Así lo ha delimitado la Organización de las Naciones Unidas que, a través de sus diversas instituciones, se considera punta de lanza en la lucha contra este flagelo que hiere a la humanidad en su esencia.

Las estadísticas incluidas en el sitio web de las Naciones Unidas que tratan este tema consideran que durante el año 2020, el diez por ciento de los niños de 5 años o más participaron en el trabajo infantil en todo el mundo, es decir, un total de 160 millones de niños, de los cuales el sesenta por ciento eran varones.

Este fenómeno no es nuevo y no debería sorprender al lector.