Struggling to Survive
Syrian Palestinians Seek Refuge in Lebanon
August 2012

As Syria continues to roil with internal struggles, Millennium continues to bring hope to Syrian Palestinian families who have fled the fighting in that beleaguered country.  To date we have been able to provide aid to 22 families who have sought refuge in Lebanon.  Through generous donations from around the world, our team in Lebanon has been able to meet 54% of its targeted funding goal to help a total of 40 families.  We need your help to reach our goal!  Please donate now to account LEB-T.003.

These men, women and children were living in villages and cities, working, attending school, raising families… going about normal routines, just as you and I do every day.   Many had to leave only with what they could carry. The shift from a productive, independent life to one as a refugee is extremely difficult.  One man wanted to pass on his gratitude to those who have helped him settle into in this transitional life:  “… I thank very much everyone who spends (even) one dollar to help us.  It is so hard to be homeless, begging to survive.”

Another recipient of the generosity of our donors is an expectant mother.  She realized when she arrived at the camp that her situation was going to be extremely difficult.   The aid we provided enabled her rent a place to stay and to purchase necessities like food and clothing.  But when you have lost your home, your place of refuge and safety, the present is difficult and the future unbearably uncertain.  It is   understandable, that this young woman who is expecting a child, fears that “… the coming days will be more difficult than now.”

It is impossible to gauge how all this turmoil affects children.  They too are afraid and confused, searching for a bit of ‘normal’ to hold on to.  Unfortunately, there is little to occupy children in the camps. 
To remedy this, Millennium-Lebanon sent out a special request, raised a bit of extra money and purchased 20 soccer balls.  In Lebanon, during the season of Eid, toy guns are a very common gift.  But children whose lives have just been turned upside down by war need another outlet.

There was much excitement when the soccer balls arrived; right away the children began to kick the balls around.  Both boys and girls were anxious to draw teams and join the fun!

As the violence in Syria continues to grow, more and more families are crossing the border into Lebanon. Currently, Millennium-Lebanon is looking to secure ongoing partnerships and to raise funds to:

> Help the remaining 18 of the original 40 families who have not yet received any aid. ($10,000)

> Expand the project to assist 50 more families who have not received any structured help. ($25,000) This can happen only after meeting our commitment to help the original 40 families.

> Meet more than physical needs.  Many refugees arrive with wounds that are not only physical but emotional and psychological as well.  The team in Lebanon is in the process of researching ways to address some of these needs through volunteer counselors, organizations specializing in after trauma care, and partnerships with researchers in the field of trauma care.

We are so very grateful for the support and partnerships that are making an impact on these families. Though they may be thousands of miles away the needs of these Syrian Palestinian families are being met by your caring contributions.

Please help us continue our efforts to bring some stability and hope to these beleaguered families.  You can give Now.  Designate: Leb-T.003

If you would like to discuss partnering with MRDS-Lebanon please contact us for more information.

Thank you for standing with us to help some of the victims of this terrible conflict.

Hope Turns to Ashes as Conflict Rages
May 2012

The world seems to be in a constant state of anxiety as conflicts flare up in diverse places with frightening regularity.  And as the conflicts rage, the hopes carried within the hearts of those who live in the midst of the carnage are incinerated.

While world leaders debate how they should help in Syria… or even if they should help… more homes are destroyed, more families shattered, more lives lost.  The destruction that comes from armed conflict is never easy to understand.  But the need for food, clothing and shelter for those who’ve left the ‘war zone’ is very easy to understand.  And it doesn’t stop there.  Our team in Lebanon is moving beyond understanding; they want to meet the needs.

From their latest communique about how the conflict in Syria has sent refugees into the unknown:
Amongst those fleeing are large numbers of Palestinians.  Most of these Syrian Palestinians are unable to find any source of help with the Lebanese communities, so are migrating towards Palestinian camps and settlements.  Around 150 families have come to the Beqaa.

Of these 150 families, our team is focusing on one of the last groups to arrive.  Forty families, who have received little, if any, assistance and who are struggling to make a home for their children...these are the families we want to help.

Once a family is settled and basic needs are met, the men and older boys may be able to find jobs to help with monthly expenses.  The overriding hope is that the fighting will end and they can return to their homes and rebuild their lives in earnest.  But in the meantime, help is desperately needed.

The uncertainty in how to deal with conflicts has a trickle-down effect. There is little organized effort to deal with the humanitarian issues and the needs of the refugees.  In situations like this, whatever any one person or group does will have immense value and impact.  You can be that person.

You can help these troubled men, women and children begin to recover from the horrors of war.

The time is now to Donate and restore hope to families who have lost so much.

$15 will purchase a first-aid, hygiene kit.
$100 will feed a family for a month.
$200 will house a family for a month.
$200 will buy clothes for a family.

Lebanon: A Personal Story
Investing in Lebanon, Investing in Lives

Rebuilding a business after years of conflict can be difficult.  The will to rebuild is strong but is often hampered by the lack of available cash needed to begin again.

One enterprising carpenter, asked if we could help him outfit his shop with much needed new equipment. We were able to arrange what is called a “business recovery" loan to help him get his business back on its feet. 

This enterprising carpenter and his brother work in the shop with one other employee.  Together they make beautiful, handmade solid wood furniture.

The loan will be paid off soon.  It was a good investment in business and a great investment in the lives of three men and their families.

Lebanon: A Personal Story
Ripples of Hope

Wars and armed conflicts damage the spirit of a people as well as the land.  Ripples of despair begin to spread far and wide.  Following the summer war of 2006, called the July War in Lebanon, one man began to realize the depth of devastation his family business had suffered.

The family's banana plantation had taken serious hits.  There was extensive damage caused by the shrapnel from the bombs that tore holes in the land and in his irrigation system.  A third of the plants in the plantation had died due to lack of water during the bombardments, and another third needed lots of hard work and care to bring them back to life.

Living with his wife and two sons outside Tyre, our plantation owner stands out as a generous, hospitable man in a land that exudes hospitality.  It's impossible to visit his family home without having copious amounts of delicious southern Lebanese dishes and fruit (bananas of course!) spread out before you.

To help with the rebuilding of the plantation, he was offered a private business-recovery loan.  Since the war, he has experienced several failed crops making repayment of the loan difficult.  But as a man of integrity with an excellent reputation in his community, despite the difficulties we expect he will repay the loan early in 2010.

Another investment in the future of one man which sends ripples of hope out into the community.