Project Fratelli begins a new cycle, 2018-2019

By the initiative of two Congregations of the Marist Brothers and the Lasailians, the Project Fratelli arrived to Lebanon in 2015 to know the territory and identify the possible spaces for action.  Today, three years later, the Project is in two places, Rmeelieh and Bourj Hammoud.  

Rmeileh is at 30 kilometers to the South of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.   The Project Fratelli and the Community of Brothers and Laity are using the Installation of a former Marist School, which was necessary to abandon in the 1980’s because of the war in Lebanon. The activities in Rmeileh began in March 2016, and since then, the Project seeks to attend the refugees by means of several programs.  The priority of the programs is destined for children and young people (Nursery school, School support, Basic Program for Learning and youth Groups), but also there are activities for the young people and for adults (sewing, cooking, English and Informatics).   

In Bourj Hammoud (metropolitan region of Beirut), in an apartment of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul where there is a school of the La Salle Brothers, the Project Fratelli has been developing activities with refugee children and young people since December 2016.  The community of Brothers and Laity, which resides in Rmeileh collaborates in the coordination of the Project which daily is led by Lebanese educators.   

As an example of the present dimension of the Project, in the programs of the last Summer (July and August) more than 1,000 children and young people followed two programs, Summer School and Vacation Colonies, adding 900 from Rmeileh and 200 from Bourj Hammoud.  

The origin of those taken care in Rmeileh, the largest number, are of Syrian nationality (95%), but there are also some Palestinians and some Lebanese who live in a situation of vulnerability.  In Bourj Hammoud, the majority are refugees from Iraq, but there are also some Lebanese.

The community of the Project Fratelli

Many people work in favor of the Project Fratelli, being employed educators, volunteers and Brothers. Brothers, Laity, men and women volunteers live in the Center of Rmeileh. Miquel Cubeles, FMS (Spain) and Andrés Porras, FSC (Mexico) are in Lebanon since the middle of the year 2015; they began the activities of the Project and coordinate the programs together with the educational team.  

Br. Isaac Alonso Arribas, fms (Spain) arrived to the Project in September 2016, and finally Br. Gilbert OUIlabegue, fsc (Chad) landed on Lebanese land in January 2018.  Among the volunteers who are in the community, Laura Gonzalvo, Marist from Spain, arrived in October 2017 and remained there until August 2018 and Bruno Manoel Socher, Marist from Brazil arrived in January 2018 and will return to his country in December of this year.  The Lasalian Sara Maria Amarillas, Mexican, arrived in July 2017 and remained in Lebanon until the first days of November.  The community expects three new volunteers in November, Florian Schultz, German, from the community of Taizé and the Marists Laura Miño Pérez, Bolivian, and Pablo Cobo, Spanish.   

Besides conducting the Project, the community helps to facilitate the activities, which are conducted by the educators and has the call to be “brothers and sisters for these more vulnerable children and young people; to be a sign of fraternity in a disadvantaged environment”.

Volunteers and educators

The Project accepts volunteers for a short duration of time.  During the summer, (July), seven Spanish volunteers helped in the activities and participated in community life: The Camposo Family, the couple Pepe and Mari Carmen and their three children, Alvaro, Javier and Irene; as well as Francisco Priego Navas and Natalia Cárdenas.  Even a priest from Ireland William Stuart.  In August, the volunteers were Javier López, Pablo Cobo and Oscar Muñoz from Spain, Gemma Ferri, from Italy and Miko Cabazor from the Philippines.  In addition to these, the visits of friends of the Marist Families  and of La Salle were many which enriched much more the experience of the children and young people taken care of by the Project.       

It is important to stress that all the volunteers of short or long duration, are directed by the department of Collaboration for the International Mission (Cmi), of the General House of Rome.  

To attend to the classes of the Project, all the educators are Lebanese and, besides of communicating new energy to the activities, they facilitate the communication with the children and young people and the families because of the barriers that the Arabic language can imply for the members of the community and the volunteers.   

Cycle 2018-2019

The new cycle 2018-2019 of the Project Fratelli in Rmeileh began in the middle of October.  The first source of the work is addressed to the small children who have no access to any type of formal education.  The enrollment in the Pre-School arrived to 300 children.

In Bourj-Hammoud, the activities will begin in October, with one class in the Nursery School, and with school support as well, to young people from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.  

Other projects, foreseen, as it happens from the beginning of the activities in Rmelieh, Bourj Hammoud must begin little by little, according to the possibilities, and to the needs of the public, we attend.   In addition, the agreements with the local NGO’s favor attention and open perspectives for new activities in the future.

Marist and Lasalian Brothers working together

In addition to the Brothers and the Laity and collaborators who are in Rmeileh and Bourj Hammoud, the Project is feasible by the effort of many hands which are not daily in the Project, but who offer their availability and competence to help.   There is the Council Fratelli, in Rome, formed by the La Salle Brothers and Marist Brothers, Jorge Gallardo, fsc, Rafael Matas, fsc, Oscar Martin, fms, Valdicer Facchi, fms.  The last two replace respectively Brothers Joe McKee, fms, and Chris Wills, fms, who were present from the beginning of the Project and who finished their activities in the General Administration of the Marist Brothers and returned to their respective Provinces.     

In addition there is a Advisor Committee in Lebanon which advises the Project and is formed by Habib Zraibi, fsc, Antoine Jarjour, fms, Edouard Jabre, Carlos Mario, fms, Claire Said, Hoda Hajjar. Angela Matulli, of Solidarity International of La Salle (Rome) coordinates the Fundraising of resources to finance the projects. In addition to those mentioned, there are innumerable other persons who help and make the Project Fratelli be a real and viable idea.  

To know more:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FratelliProject
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FratelliProject
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fratelliproject/

To Collaborate – Give:

(After making the deposit, send the receipt to: [email protected])

FRATELLI PROJECT (from the United States) (Possibility to obtain a receipt to deduct from taxes)