Hope Rising in Lebanon
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3
A Message of Hope this Christmas
Dear Friends,
Out of the deep pain Lebanon endured in 2024, something powerful is emerging: hope. In 2025, people are daring to dream again of a Lebanon restored, where daily life is no longer defined by crisis, collapse, or conflict.
Even as hope rises in Lebanon, the scars of war remain, especially in the hearts of children. Families who lost everything wrestle with grief and uncertainty. For many children, fear and anxiety linger like shadows, following them into classrooms and play spaces meant to bring comfort. Their pain is invisible, but it runs deep, and no child should have to carry it alone.
This Christmas, you can help bring healing to their pain and hope to their hearts.
As we celebrate Christ’s birth — God's gift of hope to our world — we invite you to join us in restoring hope to children in need through mental health initiatives supporting children with learning disabilities as well as whole families in highly vulnerable situations.
Your gift will help provide psychosocial support for children in need across Lebanon through our partner ministries SKILD and MERATH, offering:
Trauma-informed counseling and psychosocial activities
Safe spaces for emotional expression
Support and tools for local caregivers and families
Faith-based encouragement rooted in the hope of Christ
Hope on the Horizon
The SKILD Center provides hands-on, tailored psychosocial and psychoeducational therapies for children with learning differences like Nadim (pictured here), who are often overlooked or uncared for in Lebanese schools. The impact of SKILD’s support for Nadim is palpable for his mother, too:
“There were days when life felt like it had completely stopped. I would wake with a heavy heart and go to sleep with tears in my eyes. Not only were the [public school] teachers dishonest and the care inadequate, but neither Nadim nor I received the respect he deserved as a child with special needs. I endured my pain in silence, feeling utterly unsupported and uncared for—not by the school staff, the administration, or even my own family. Honestly, it felt like there was no hope on the horizon.
The desired change occurred from day one. Nadim walked into the [SKILD] classroom laughing! He waved goodbye to me, and my heart soared with joy.... From a child who had barely uttered a word, Nadim transformed into a child who could write and express his feelings honestly.... Nadim today is no longer that scared and withdrawn child. He has become a boy who laughs from the bottom of his heart, he writes, he dances, and he loves life in every detail.”
Read more about the hope SKILD brought Nadim and his family.
The Most Beautiful Thing is Love
Through MERATH’s education programs, children unable to enter Lebanon’s public school system receive not only basic learning but also access to counseling and psychosocial support. With guidance from in-house counselors, students in vulnerable situations learn to understand their trauma and manage emotions in healthy ways - all within safe, welcoming spaces shaped by compassionate Christian care. Samia*'s [*pseudonym] mother shared:
“My daughter Samia started at the center last year. It was much needed because she was struggling a lot at home. She feels like she doesn’t have a purpose, and she feels very lonely and stays by herself most of the time. Sometimes she says she wants to drop out. The coordinator of the school talked to Samia recently to see what can be done. She also started seeing the center’s counsellor.
The most beautiful thing is that there is love and respect in the center, on top of good education and personal follow-up. They follow up with parents and encourage us to talk with [our children], pay attention to them, and help them get better. It is because they genuinely care about the children and their wellbeing and success. It shows they love the children as if they were their own. I believe this love is definitely from God. I was so surprised, shocked even, by all the love, respect, and care I found here.”
A Milestone of Inclusion Celebrating Our IDEAL Graduates year 2025
This year’s IDEAL Program graduation celebrates resilience, inclusion, and the power of dreams without limits — a powerful reminder that with support, anything is possible.
Will you help hope rise again for children in Lebanon?
As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, may we remember that He, too, was once a child born into a vulnerable situation in the Middle East. May we reflect His love for the most vulnerable, bring His comfort into places of pain, and watch as hope rises in Lebanon.
With gratitude and hope,
The MEBO-Thimar Team
