Six months as volunteer at the side of refugees in Lebanon

Margaret Beauty Mpalula, from the Southern Africa Province, did an international volunteer experience in the Fratelli Project in Lebanon. She is from Zambia. In her testimony that we publish below, Margaret talks about what motivated her to become a Marist volunteer, her experience of living in an international Marist community during six months (from May 26 to 18 December 2023), and what she has learned through the Fratelli project.

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The motivation to volunteer out of my country was to make a difference in someone else’s life. I had heard from the Marists Brothers talking about Fratelli Project, a collaboration of two Brothers institutes (De La Salle & Marist). As I was due for six months’ vacation, I felt taking up a challenge for this voluntary program would be a right thing to undertake.

The project care for Syrian refugees fleeing from the war zone and give them necessary support as many of them documentation of their identities or origins, as such they have no access to formal public schools in Lebanon. The project gives assistance through programs such as kindergarten, school support, and wings to fly for transition into public schools. Apart from looking after the well-fare of children, the project also offers programs like literacy, IT training, life skills such as cookery, auto mechanics, hair dressing, tailoring and various entrepreneurship and psychological programs.

Since I arrived on May 26, I joined the Marist community of 4 Brothers and 4 lay persons, and this has been my host community to date; and I participated with an open mind and keen interest of what all the schedules that were given to us, for instance, morning and evening prayers, domestic chores, Saturday community meetings, Sunday mass and fascinating excursions we were accorded to various significant sites. These activities constituted a Marist Volunteer life day by day.

Significant moments and Key words

One of the significant moments from my experience was the interaction with the youth.  I had a great opportunity to interact with the youth especially during literacy classes, listening to girls sharing their personal stories on social issues such as early marriages, hygiene and pregnancies. Being present and associating with these children gave me many learnings and drew my faith and compassion to empathize with their various situations and needs. I can simply say this was really a worthwhile and humane experience and an eye opener to some of the social challenges I may have taken for granted before.

The key words and concepts to some up my experience are faith; modesty; mission; service; voluntary; and experience. In summary I feel it is my Faith that enabled me to collaborate with the Marist Brothers in Zambia, and now by extension of my Mission the Marist Volunteer Program. The Experience I had here calls for a giving of self-whole heartedly to Volunteer to such an undertaking away from my own country to a modesty experience of livelihoods against some social challenges in Life. I sincerely appreciate my having been here and I hope and trust I was of Service to the project, community, colleagues, and those I interacted with.

I may not have appropriate words to describe the significant scenario or events of my voluntary time while here. My sentiments however draw me to my experience with local and Spanish dishes and the vibrant and supportive community full of joy. I wish to appreciate all, the project manager, superior, brothers, Fratelli staff and of course volunteer colleagues from other countries for this wonderful inter-cultural and racial opportunities to work together, your friendliness and share various rich cultural heritages. The weather was scary but thank God I adapted. I enjoyed every bit of the experience even though I did not understand much of Arabic, but I go back a different person as I have picked few insights and meanings.

An exceptional and transformative experience

There are several lessons I have learnt during this opportune experience. In a nutshell, I would like to simply say, I have learnt there is satisfaction and meaning in providing voluntary service. The world can only be a lot better if service of others through mission is done with prayer, teamwork, cultural-diversity, and resilience even in trying and challenging circumstances of wars always points to enhanced life dynamisms. In other words, my experience was wholesome, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and culturally building and I will go a changed person.

The Marist life and mission is transformative as I can express it in few words: prayerful; responsible; responsive; observant; caring and have a sense of belonging. I became more prayerful, responsible and at the same time responsive through my observations and experiences. I found meaning in caring for others’ needs and well-being and this gave me a positive attitude towards others and a sense of belonging too. As I leave for my country part of me will remain here and I will also carry with me many positive experiences that have shaped my life into a better person than I came.

Despite the high and humid temperature that made me take long to adapt, the language barrier, Arabic, was a challenge to me and this prevented me to communicate meaningfully with the people I encountered with, let alone colleagues except those who had English medium or some basics. Nevertheless, being physically together in the same environment, sharing food and outdoor fan, was a sense of belonging and fostered a universal communion. I greatly have appreciated this Marist Voluntary experience and I think it has imprinted an indelible mark in my mind and heart such that I wouldn’t hesitate to encourage others who may wish to undertake the voluntary service out of our country. The experience alone has a myriad of learnings and life skills orientations as well as the Christian virtues of Hope, Peace, and Love that are the most profound ingredients of life in the person.  My prayer is that the Marist Volunteer Project continues to touch many hearts who called to serve and especially the beneficiary people.